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Tampa leaders announce next phases of Green Spine Cycle Track

By , and FOX 13 News Staff
Updated  January 22, 2025 9:06am EST
Tampa
FOX 13 News

Green Spine cycle track expansion

Kylie Jones reports.

The Brief

    • The City of Tampa says the Green Spine Cycle Track will be expanded this year.
    • Two new phases of the project are set to be finished this summer.
    • The total length of the track will expand to about 3 miles.

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa is extending the Green Spine Cycle Track, designed to improve mobility and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

What is the Green Spine Cycle Track?

Big picture view:

According to city officials, the Green Spine is an east-west urban bicycle track. Currently, it begins at Cass St. and N. Rome Ave. and runs through downtown, then through Ybor City into East Tampa.

The Green Spine Cycle Track will be expanded in two phases this year.

The Green Spine Cycle Track will be expanded in two phases this year.

New phases of the project

What's next:

Two new phases are set to be finished this summer, increasing the total length of the track to about three miles. The extension project will bring the bike path up to Nuccio Parkway, to Cuscaden Park and into East Tampa.

Much like the portion that's already completed, the extension of the Green Spine will feature two-way bike lanes with 3-foot raised separators between bicyclists and drivers from E. 7th Ave. to E. 17th Ave.

From there, the city plans to install a 14-foot shared-use sidewalk, which will extend to E. 21st Ave.

The Green Spine Cycle Track will be expanded in two phases this year. (Courtesy: City of Tampa.)

The Green Spine Cycle Track will be expanded in two phases this year. (Courtesy: City of Tampa.)

The city says the extended track will connect neighborhoods like North Hyde Park, downtown Tampa and Ybor City, along with providing access to the Tampa Riverwalk.

Crews will also add 67 on-street parallel parking spaces as part of the next phase.

The two phases are expected to cost a total of $4.44 million, with most of the funding coming from FDOT Local Agency Program grants.

It will also cross paths with the West Riverwalk, which is a long-awaited project that will further connect different pockets of Tampa. The Green Spine will also run through Gasworx, a 50-acre project underway in Ybor City to bring a mixture of residential and retail development to the area.

"Connecting Encore with the Channel District, with Ybor City, and particularly Ybor City, because it's such a gem for Tampa, and being able to come from Ybor and walk all the way down to Water Street and the Riverwalk, it’s going to really be a great experience for people," Graham Tyrrell, the senior vice president of Kettler Inc., said.

Big picture view:

The project is aimed at making Tampa more accessible by bicycle, and giving people a more affordable way to get around.

"This is really river to bay, and connecting all these neighborhoods from East Tampa to Westshore," Christine Acosta with Walk Bike Tampa said.

As the city continues to grow quickly, leaders said the project isn’t only about making roads safer.

"The extension is going into historically lower income, diverse communities that need low-cost access to all the jobs that are happening in Ybor, downtown, South Tampa and more and more," City of Tampa Mobility Director Vik Bhide said.

What they're saying:

"Building new, safer bicycle lanes ensures everyone has easy access to all that makes Tampa great," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "These additions to the Green Spine provide secure pathways to parks and essential services, promote a healthier lifestyle, and reduce harmful pollutants. We look forward to this significant improvement to the city's transportation network."

The Source: This story was written using information from the City of Tampa.

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