Tampa — Streetcar Expansion On Hold

Rail Transit Online, January 2005

Plans for a short extension of the TECO Line streetcar suffered a major setback on Dec. 7 when the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted 6-5 not to support the project even though nearly half the cost would be covered by a federal grant.  The proposal would expand the line by three-eighths of a mile (603.5 meters) from the Tampa Convention Center north to Whiting Street at a cost of $7 million, $3 million of which would have come from Washington.  The Tampa City Council a week earlier vote to pursue the federal funding but the MPO vetoed the idea despite arguments by streetcar supporters that a longer route would help rejuvenate the downtown area.  The city could have sought the grant but won’t because it has no money for the local share.  Rail advocates, including officials of the Tampa Downtown Partnership (TDP), said they would seek other funding sources.  “We need to keep fighting this fight,” TDP director of transportation Karen Kress told the Tampa Tribune.  “This isn't the death of it.  It's just one more obstacle we need to overcome.”