HART TDP Major Update: Outreach Completed; Vision Plan and 10‑Year Priorities Coming

Heather Sobush, HART’s director of planning and scheduling, briefed the TPO on the Transit Development Plan major update and outreach process. She said the update is required every five years for state funding eligibility and reported robust public and internal engagement, including about 800 survey responses and 10 in‑person workshops.

Sobush summarized priorities from outreach—top requested connections included airport–downtown, Brandon–downtown and East Tampa–West Tampa—and noted strong interest in frequency, span improvements and bus rapid transit or airport connectors. She told the board that a final vision plan, a 10‑year operating and capital plan and priority projects will be finalized and go to HEART committees in October and the HEART Board in November, with a TPO presentation planned in January.

Board members asked whether ridership modeling would incorporate the top connections and projected densities; Sobush said those items are built into the model and will be included in ridership estimates. The board received the informational update by voice vote.