Hillsborough County outlines record transportation spending, details resurfacing, sidewalks and bridge priorities

Hillsborough County officials told the Board of County Commissioners on July 23 that the county is directing an unprecedented level of funding to transportation but that even that money will not fully meet needs.

The county administrator’s office and Public Works reported the county expects to use $256,000,000 in transportation surtax dollars this year along with more than $130,000,000 in general-fund and CIT (capital improvement tax) resources for road resurfacing, preservation and capital projects. Kim Beyer, assistant county administrator, and Josh Velotti, engineering and operations director, described how the funds will be divided among pavement preservation, neighborhood and localized repairs, sidewalks and bridges.

The county’s transportation network — about 7,400 miles of roadway, nearly 300 bridges and roughly 600 traffic signals across 900 square miles of unincorporated Hillsborough County — requires ongoing maintenance and long-term capital investment, Beyer said. “Our core services are divided into three main areas: operating the system, preserving the system and building for the future,” she said.

Staff said the county uses a data-driven pavement…