You know the Green Spine, meet the Green ARTery

First, the City of Tampa built the Green Spine cycle track through its urban core. Now it’s time for the Green ARTery, a 22-mile interconnected pedestrian and bicycle network planned around central Tampa that will connect neighborhoods, parks, schools, and local attractions. 

During a Tuesday, May 13th press conference at Purity Springs Park, the city highlighted the ongoing construction of the first two segments in the Old Seminole Heights and Lowry Park Central neighborhoods. Both projects are intended to slow traffic and increase pedestrian and bicycle safety – two city priorities under the Tampa MOVES plan and the Vision Zero goal to eliminate deadly crashes.

These first Green ARTery projects will include nearly 4,000 feet of new and widened sidewalks, fresh paving, lower speed limits, solar-powered flashing crosswalk beacons, improved roadway markings, signage, and more.

The segment in Old Seminole Heights stretches 1.4 miles and includes Hamilton Heath Drive, East Park Circle, and Park Drive from North Nebraska Avenue to 22nd Street Park. The segment in Lowry Park Central stretches 1.1 miles and includes West Kirby Street, North River Shore Drive, and North Florida Avenue between North Boulevard and East Bird Street.

The Green ARTery concept dates back to a 2010 grassroots effort by more than 20 neighborhood groups that rallied to make the city more walkable and bikeable while safely connecting neighborhoods to Tampa’s green spaces. 

“Green ARTery’s goal is to connect a network of trails and paths to the Hillsborough River, McKay Bay, neighborhood assets, neighborhood parks, natural springs, tree-canopied streets, public art, and other attractions that traverse Tampa’s beautiful central core,” says a description from the project page on the city’s website. 

More than a dozen park facilities surround the area where the first two segments are under construction.

Combined, the first two segments will cost approximately $1.7 million. Florida Department of Transportation grants will cover the majority of that with multimodal impact fees collected on new developments covering the rest.

Construction on both segments is scheduled to wrap up by mid-August. The entire loop is expected to be completed within five years. 

For more information, go to Green ARTery segment D and Green ARTery segment E