A foreign company has been named as the number one contender
in a bid to build a toll road near Tampa, FL.
The Plenary Group - a consortium of companies from
Australia, Canada and New Zealand - has been named as the possible builder of a
three-mile toll road that would connect Interstate 275 to "New Tampa," which is
an area in northern Tampa that some people believe should be incorporated into
a separate city.
Marty Stone, planning director for the Tampa-Hillsborough
Expressway Authority, told Land Line
Magazine the $150 million project is the first public-private partnership
of its kind in Florida. Stone said it was a "true" public-private partnership,
meaning built from scratch with private dollars. The city of Tampa has acquired
the right of way.
The St. Petersburg
Times reported that drivers could pay as much as $2.75 each way for a
three-mile trip on the road.
Stone stressed that the deal is still a long way from being
complete. He also added that the road, while open to trucks, would not be a
major truck route and has very few truck origins and destinations.
According to Tampabay.com,
the concession could last 40-60 years.
- By Terry Scruton and
David Tanner, staff writers
terry_scruton@landlinemag.com
david_tanner@landlinemag.com
