Drive or Lincoln Road. Closing these access points will influence traffic movements to and from East Bay High School, Eisenhower Middle School, and the Hillsborough County Public Works building. The other median opening proposed to close is west of Simmons Loop. Currently this median opening only serves eastbound and westbound U-turn movements. Per the Big Bend Road PD&E Study and the proposed ultimate improvements, the left turn lane from Big Bend Road to the northbound I-75 on-ramp will be extended to provide more vehicle storage. This turn lane will extend through the existing median opening. 5.6 Transit Existing transit in the study area is depicted in Figure 9 and includes two Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) transit routes and seven bus stops. HART Route 31 runs through the study area along US 41. Headways are between 1 hour and 1.5 hours. There are six bus stops for this route along US 41 within the study area. HART transit route 75X, “South County Shopper,” was added in 2018 and runs only on Tuesday and Thursday from Kings Point in Sun City along I-75 to Big Bend Road and east to St. Joseph’s Hospital – South. The route then loops back to I-75 and runs north to Westfield Brandon Mall. Within the study area this route only stops once at St. Joseph’s Hospital – South. Headways are approximately 2 hours. The Apollo Beach Park-n-Ride is an important transit feature located south and outside of the study area boundary. The MPO’s South Shore Transit Circulator Study (2014) and Southshore Transit Study Reevaluation (underway in 2018) both assess the transit conditions, and alternatives and opportunities in the South Shore area, including the Big Bend Road study area. The 2014 study assessed four transit alternatives to service the South Shore area and made recommendations. Since then, HART overhauled their system under the Mission MAX program. In 2018, the MPO began a reevaluation of the transit needs of South Shore, including the Big Bend Road area. Improvements will focus on opportunities such as on-demand service, public-private partnerships, the efforts of non-profit organizations and others to provide a phased implementation plan and associated costs. Included in the reevaluation are proposed mobility hubs within the Big Bend Road Study area: one hub near St. Joseph’s Hospital South, and two hubs in the vicinity of US 301 near Summerfield Crossings, north of Big Bend Road. Although the details have not been finalized, these hubs could serve to mobilize riders from neighborhoods/activity centers within the Big Bend Road study area to and from major transit stops. A future transit feature in the southern Hillsborough County which is important to note since the discussion has been taking place over the last few years, is the potential for high-speed ferry service between MacDill Air Force Base and an undetermined location in southern Hillsborough County; potentially Port Redwing. 5.7 Trails Existing trails in the study area include the sidepath along US 301 and the South Coast Greenway (Phase 2) trail which is partially located within the Waterset development in the form of a sidepath. The South Coast Greenway is part of the State of Florida SunTrail system and is proposed to extend south to Manatee County and ultimately points further south as a regional and trail facility. To the north, it will connect to the Tampa Bypass Canal Trail.
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Hillsborough County • October 2019
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