Hillsborough County is growing quickly, with its population expected to reach 2.5 million by 2070. To prepare, county officials are updating the Corridor Preservation Plan (CPP), a longrange guide for where future roads may go and how wide they’ll need to be.
The CPP focuses on unincorporated areas, where much of the county’s new development is expected. While minor updates were made in recent years, the last major revision happened more than 15 years ago. With shifting land use patterns and travel habits, planners said it’s time for a fresh look.
The plan plays a critical role in shaping Hillsborough’s future. By identifying where roads will be needed and preserving space for them now, the county can reduce future costs and traffic problems as well as help residents get where they need to go safely and efficiently.
“We’re just trying to capture anything we can, … public opinion on the state of roadways, and the needs that we’re seeing from growth and what they would like the future to look like,” said Chris Fellerhoff, executive planner for the county.
A newly released map outlines potential future road corridors and how many lanes might be needed by 2050. But the plan isn’t final, and public feedback is a key part of the process.
“We have left it very open-ended. If people have an interest in a specific roadway, either the present conditions there or curious to know what it could be in the future, and they have an opinion about what our data is showing, we’d like to hear that,” said Fellerhoff.
In July, the county hosted four public meetings across the region in Ruskin, Valrico and two locations in Tampa to explain the plan and gather feedback from residents. The meetings offered community members a chance to speak with planners, ask questions and share concerns.
“This is the future, what it could look like. How do you feel about that?” Fellerhoff said. “It is very general. We’re not saying, is this one project good or bad?”
Traffic concerns were a common theme.
“A lot of people have shared with us just their general concern and frustration with congestion and traffic,” he said. “It’s useful to capture.”
Chris reiterated the importance of public input.
“People being on record that they want to see something change and improve, that’s an opportunity to say, yeah, this makes sense that this is coming, or I’d like it to be different,” said Fellerhoff.
Online input is welcome through Friday, August 15, at www.publicinput.com/corridorpreservation.
For more information, residents can contact Dalia Odeh at 813-635-1625.
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