Commissioners vote 5 to 2 for Friendship Trail project

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

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The bridge has been closed since November 2008.

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY (Bay News 9) -- Debate over restoring the Friendship Trail Bridge has been brewing for several months, with repairs expected to cost millions of dollars.

The bridge was a popular place for anglers and joggers, but it's been closed since November 2008 because of safety issues.

Hillsborough County commissioners debated Wednesday whether to find funding to repair the Friendship Trail Bridge. After a lengthy discussion, five out of seven of them voted yes to move forward with the project.

Many Bay area residents want to see that change and are urging Hillsborough County officials to find funds to make it happen.

"We need to not only reopen this trail bridge, but then promote it as a draw statewide and nationally," said resident Alan Snell.

It will cost $15 million to fix the Friendship Trail Bridge, which will extend the bridge's life approximately 10 years. That's not a purchase Commissioner Al Higginbotham says he can agree to.

"I think it's irresponsible, personally, for me to support it," Higginbotham said.

Other commissioners disagreed and voted to move forward with the project. They plan to apply for federal funding through what's known as the Tiger Grant. But there will be nationwide competition for the money.

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Friendship Trail supporters say it's a move in the right direction.

"The county commissioners asked the public what they thought," said Frank Miller with the Friendship Trail Bridge Corporation. "They heard overwhelmingly what they thought, and I think our commissioners listened to them."

Hillsborough County officials say they should know by September whether they would be awarded the Tiger Grant funding. If not, they'll have to start searching for a plan B.

The commissioners who voted against the Friendship Trail project say they would support moving forward, if it didn't interfere with other planned projects, specifically the one on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

They were overruled on that idea.

Pinellas County commissioners will meet to discuss the Friendship Trail Bridge in two weeks.

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