TAMPA, Fla. - Construction is now underway on a new way to connect the city of Tampa: The Green Artery.
It’s a planned 22-mile network of paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.
Seeing the new sidewalks being built for the project is a big moment for Myron Griffin, a longtime Tampa resident who worked with several neighborhood groups and the city for years on the project.
“My dream has come true,” Griffin said. “I was doubtful it was ever going to come to fruition. I’m about to pass out with joy.”
The Green Artery is a long-term project that will link parks, schools and neighborhoods around Tampa.
It will include 4,000 feet of new and widened sidewalks, some of which are being installed now near Purity Springs Park in the Lowry Park Central neighborhood.
“I hope there will be some people who chose to walk or bike rather than use their car. As we grow so fast, traffic jams are an everyday norm,” Griffin said.
Griffin joined officials from the city of Tampa to celebrate the beginning of the construction on Tuesday. The project is a collaboration of several organizations, including Tampa’s Mobility Department and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
“I’ve heard the criticism and naysayers about building this green spine and providing bicycle lanes and people saying, 'Well, people aren’t using them.’ People will use them when they feel safe,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “And we have the luxury of riding our bikes 365 days a year in Tampa.”
The project also includes new bike lanes, paving work, improved road markings, solar-powered crosswalks signs and lower speed limits on several streets.
Griffin hopes it can also put the ‘art’ in artery.
“I’d love to see green artery populated with artistic creations. Things to inspire people as they’re exercising and walking or biking along the trail. I see it as one the largest art galleries in existence,” Griffin said.
Work on the first two segments in Lowry Park Central and Old Seminole Heights will be done in the next few months, with the whole artery expected to be finished in the next five years.
The cost of the first two segments is $1.7 million, with more than half of that funding coming from an FDOT grant, according to city officials.