Construction begins on Tampa 22-mile bike loop

The city of Tampa announced Tuesday that construction has officially begun on a long-awaited pedestrian and bicycle loop around the city.

Dubbed the Green ARTery, the 22-mile connected loop stretches from the bayfront downtown in the south, along the Hillsborough River to the west, up to Seminole Heights in the north and crosses several neighborhoods along 34th street to the east.

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The first leg of the project is two segments in the Old Seminole Heights and Lowry Park neighborhoods totaling $1.7 million, more than half funded through FDOT grants. According to a statement from the city, the remainder of the funds are gathered from multimodal impact fees from new developments. 

The project originally began as a neighborhood group effort in 2010 with the goal of connecting the city’s green spaces and attractions. The first segment will be completed by mid-August and the rest of the project is slated to be completed within five years.

The city notes residents can expect to see upgrades like 4,000 feet of new and widened sidewalks, lower speed limits, solar-powered crosswalk beacons and improved roadway markings as part of the project.