Commissioners learned Tuesday of a projected $1.57 billion five-year shortfall. That could be 20 years away.Įven without the cost of the ferry, the county’s transportation needs abound. Owen, whose district includes south county, recently proposed extending the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway from its terminus in Brandon 10 miles southward to Big Bend Road in south county. It’s an idea that’s been discussed previously but has not advanced. Wostal also said he will advocate for the county to turn over ownership of its roads inside the city of Tampa to the municipal government after the roads are improved. The county is allocating $14.5 million to 98 such groups this budget year - an amount not likely to make a dent in the county’s transportation wish list. He has ambitions to curb county spending on nonprofits and steer the money into transportation. “The commissioners deeply want relief for traffic congestion, but what we can’t have, and what is our equal responsibility, is to make sure taxpayers aren’t taken advantage of,” said Wostal. Skeptics say it’s too much money and too big of a gamble for the county with too little return. An additional 745 people would be on board during five off-peak trips each day. Recent projections called for three ferry vessels to carry a maximum of 2,942 people on 13 daily round trips during peak travel hours. “The ferry simply doesn’t move a reasonable amount of bodies,” Wostal said in a recent interview, calling the plan “an imagined project that seems unrealistic at this point.”
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