Partner Partner Content Preparing Tampa Bay for the next generation of growth

 Tampa Bay is entering one of the most significant periods of growth in its history. Downtown Tampa and the surrounding neighborhoods are rapidly transforming as more people choose to call the region home. Growth creates opportunity, but it also places greater demands on the transportation network connecting people to jobs, healthcare, entertainment, education, and each other. 

Meeting that demand requires planning for where Tampa Bay is heading. 

The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) owns and operates the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway system, a critical urban transportation network connecting communities throughout the region to Downtown Tampa and beyond. More than an expressway, the Selmon system connects people to where they live, work, invest, and gather. 

With Tampa Bay’s continued growth in mind, THEA’s Board of Directors has approved a $767.7 million, six-year Work Program focused on strengthening mobility, modernizing operations, and preparing the region for the future. More than 83 percent of the program is dedicated to enhancement and capacity projects, while also advancing technology, preserving critical infrastructure, and investing in stronger community connections. 

Investing in a transportation network built for growth 

Every commute, freight delivery, sporting event, hospital visit, and evening downtown depends on reliable transportation. As Tampa Bay grows, maintaining that reliability requires continued investment. 

THEA plans to invest across the Selmon Expressway system, expanding capacity, preserving critical infrastructure, modernizing technology, and improving the customer experience. Together, these investments strengthen today’s network while preparing it for tomorrow’s transportation demands. 

The South Selmon Capacity Project represents the largest investment in the program, adding a lane in each direction from west of Himes Avenue in South Tampa to east of Florida Avenue in Downtown Tampa. The project includes a signature Hillsborough River Bridge, upgraded underpasses, improved stormwater management, residential noise walls, and other corridor enhancements that improve mobility while investing in surrounding communities. 

Following completion of the downtown portion of the South Selmon Capacity Project, THEA will advance the Whiting Street Project, which will help alleviate game-day and entertainment congestion into Benchmark International Arena and improve pedestrian safety in the urban core. The Selmon East Expressway Capacity Project will follow. At the same time, planning continues along US 301, where THEA is evaluating opportunities to expand the expressway system and improve mobility along one of the region’s fastest-growing corridors between the Selmon Expressway and Sun City Center. 

Complementing these major capital projects are system-wide investments in corridor improvements, bridge preservation, roadway rehabilitation, and next-generation tolling and traffic management technology. Together, these initiatives represent a coordinated strategy to modernize the Selmon Expressway system from end to end while preparing for continued growth and evolving travel patterns. 

Infrastructure that connects communities 

Transportation infrastructure influences far more than travel times. It influences where people choose to live, how businesses grow, and how communities remain connected. It shapes neighborhoods, supports economic development, and determines how easily people move throughout a city. 

That understanding guides THEA’s long-term investment strategy. 

From the Selmon Greenway to improvements throughout the system, THEA is focused on connecting neighborhoods on, under, and around the corridor, linking people to jobs, opportunity, recreation, and each other. 

Growth within Downtown Tampa creates new opportunities to rethink how transportation infrastructure supports neighborhood connectivity and quality of life. Future investments include 12th Street Park, the Meridian Health Trail, and activation near Ybor Harbor. 

In Florida, shade is a commodity. The continued expansion of the Selmon Greenway reflects a broader vision for transportation infrastructure that creates places where people want to spend time, supports active transportation, and strengthens connections between neighborhoods. 

Technology built into every investment 

Technology is becoming increasingly integrated into every aspect of the transportation network. Through the work program, THEA is advancing intelligent transportation systems, connected vehicle technology, artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, wrong-way driving detection, next-generation tolling, and its Downtown Brain to create a smarter, more responsive system that improves safety, traffic flow, reliability, and the customer experience. 

Looking beyond today’s projects 

A transportation work program is more than a list of construction projects. It reflects how a region chooses to prepare for its future. 

Every investment within THEA’s work program supports the same objective: creating a transportation network that is safe, reliable, and connected while improving how people move throughout Tampa Bay and enhancing the communities connected by the Selmon Expressway System. 

By investing in capacity, infrastructure, technology, and community connections today, THEA is preparing Tampa Bay for where it is heading. 

For more information, go to THEA