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Some Say Future Is A 2-Way Street

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By JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

WEST TAMPA - Melinda Mosser believes turning Howard and Armenia avenues into two-ways would make West Tampa a destination.

It would spark a neighborly charm, she said, with pedestrians strolling sidewalks under decorative lights and customers being drawn to small businesses.

'I think you would have an overall different look and feel,' said Mosser, marketing and land acquisition manager for Castillo Housing Corp., which is building its headquarters at 3300 N. Armenia Ave. 'It would give more emphasis as a place to be.'
City Councilwoman Mary Mulhern has begun talks on converting Howard, Armenia and Florida avenues and Tampa Street to two-way roads.

From Azeele Street to Tampa Bay Boulevard, Howard runs north and Armenia runs south.

A neighborhood meeting to discuss Howard and Armenia is set for 6 p.m. Monday at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union St.

'What we are interested in is livable neighborhoods, safe streets and economic development,' said Mulhern, who hosted a meeting Wednesday night in Tampa Heights to discuss Florida and Tampa. 'The way to create economic development is by supporting small local businesses. All the research shows that one-way streets are bad for business.'

Prompted by neighborhood interest, the city administration asked the Florida Department of Transportation in the spring to study the possibility of making Howard and Armenia two-way, said Danny Lamb, FDOT's systems planning administrator.

'Our findings show it wouldn't be wise,' Lamb said.

Both roads have two or three lanes between Azeele and Tampa Bay. Because of the roads' width, creating two-way traffic would allow for one northbound and one southbound lane and a center lane for left turns, Lamb said.

One-third of the road capacity would be lost, creating traffic delays and possibly sending drivers onto neighborhood streets to avoid congestion, Lamb said.

The study found that it takes about 15 minutes to travel from Azeele to Tampa Bay on Howard or Armenia. By 2030, the journey will take 22 minutes, Lamb said.

If Howard and Armenia were converted to two-way, the commute would take 42 minutes in 2030.

FDOT is expanding Interstate 275 from West Shore Boulevard to the Hillsborough River, and the project's design won't allow for two-way traffic in the area of Laurel and Green streets, Lamb said.

In a July letter to Lamb, Jean Dorzback, the city's transportation planning supervisor, wrote that Howard and Armenia are not appropriate for two-way conversion.

'There are multiple physical constraints and negative impacts to the adjacent neighborhoods,' Dorzback wrote.

Howard and Armenia are Hillsborough County roads and were converted to one-way in the 1960s. Ned Baier, the county's transportation division manager, said the county hasn't received information about the FDOT study but is concerned about how a two-way conversion would affect traffic flow at interstate ramps.

'The interstate is the economic engine of Tampa,' Baier said. 'You want to keep that free flowing, safe and as congestion free as possible.'

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Neighborhood discussion on converting Howard and Armenia avenues to two-way roads

WHEN: 6 p.m. Monday

WHERE: West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 W. Union St.

INFORMATION: Call Councilwoman Mary Mulhern's office at (813) 274-7071.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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