St. Petersburg City Council commits $4 million to PSTA BRT project

June 14, 2019
PSTA says the proposal to link St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach would provide a fast, easy and reliable transportation option that serves major attractions, destinations and residential communities.

A plan to improve transportation between St. Petersburg and St. Pete Beach, Fla., is gaining speed. On June 13, 2019, St. Petersburg City Council approved $4 million in funding to support the Bus Rapid Transit project headed by the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA).

“Our residents support this innovative project and are eager to enjoy the benefits it will bring to the city and Pinellas County. The leadership shown by this council demonstrates the city of St. Petersburg’s progressive nature. We know that infrastructure investments like this one will continue to drive our prosperity and growth in a positive and sustainable way,” said St. Petersburg City Council member Darden Rice. 

“We would like to thank the St. Petersburg City Council for their tremendous show of support for a project that will better connect our region, so that residents, employees, and tourists have faster and more reliable ways to travel home, to work, and to explore,” PSTA Chief Executive Officer Brad Miller said. “We believe this Rapid Transit Project is a win-win for everyone. Every beach community is seeing tourism explode. We are going to help manage that growth and reduce congestion by keeping cars off the road by providing innovative, convenient alternatives,” Miller added. 

The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) would offer faster rides to world class attractions, from the Gulf beaches to the renowned Dali Museum, Tropicana Field, and University of South Florida in downtown St. Pete. Due to rapid transit characteristics such as the 40-foot buses running in semi-dedicated lanes, signal priority, pre-board payment and level boarding, the public transit ride from St. Pete to St. Pete Beach will be reduced from about 55 to 35 minutes. For less than $5 round trip, St. Pete Beach residents could ride to a Tampa Bay Rays game, and not have to worry about paying for parking or driving home. 

Relieving congestion and reducing emissions are significant positives of the BRT upgrade. Within a half mile of the line, there are 50,000 jobs. With faster, more reliable service, PSTA projects ridership to increase to 5,000 rides a day, which is like getting 2,000 cars off the road, according to a 2017 study based on data from BRT systems nationwide. St. Pete Beach could see the greatest benefit and reduction of traffic because 82 percent of employees commute into the city every day, with over 40 percent from the city of St. Pete alone. 

The BRT line is expected to open to riders in late 2020/early 2021. It will cost an estimated $43.9 million dollars to complete, which includes $10.5 million from the Florida Department of Transportation, $7.6 million from the PSTA, and $4 million from the city of St. Pete. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is expected to approve the final $21.8 million in funding through its Capital Investment Grant program later this year. 

The St. Pete BRT line would be the first federally-funded major transit project in Tampa Bay. It will be the foundation of future transit improvements connecting Pinellas County to Tampa International Airport and Downtown Tampa.