Ashley Drive in downtown Tampa will close for three weeks in May as CSX Railroad continues work on replacing tracks along Polk Street.
The closure, beginning on May 7th and continuing through the Memorial Day holiday, will detour southbound traffic to Tampa Street using Cass Street while northbound traffic will be detoured to Florida Avenue using Madison Street.
According to Irvin Lee, director of City of Tampa
Department of Public Works, the City has worked closely with
CSX for close to four months, assisting in their scheduled maintenance and rehabilitation of tracks in the downtown neighborhood. The rail lines running along Polk Street at Ashley Drive is the last segment in the downtown core effort.
“The impact to traffic will be significant but we are asking the motoring public to plan ahead, observe the posted detours and be patient,” Lee says.
The City has provided a
map of detour routes and recommended alternative routes to ease congestion while signal timings will be adjusted to facilitate traffic flow.
“Access to the
Poe Garage will be maintained throughout the project for patrons enjoying the
Straz Center,
John F. Germany Public Library,
Curtis Hixon Park and museums,” Lee says. “We will work with CSX to get this work completed as quickly as possible."
The project is anticipated to be completed by Memorial Day, allowing the intersection to reopen when commuters return to work after the holiday.
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Irvin Lee,
City of Tampa
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