TAMPA Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation has been given the green light to move forward with improvements to the downtown corridor known as "Malfunction Junction."
- Road expansion to be named "Malfunction Junction"
- Citizens wants focus on bus routes instead
- Improvements will cost an estimated $400 million
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The state wants to add a lane to both directions of a portion of I-275, along with a flyover ramp connected to the southbound interstate to I-4.
Officials say this will help ease congestion and cut down on the 1,500 accidents that happen in the corridor every year.
The Metropolitan planning commission voted in favor of the measure after hearing hours of public critique against the move.
Members of the group Sunshine Citizens wants the state to focus on transportation and bus routes instead of adding extra lanes.
"We can’t continue to repeat this bad pattern. We end up with the same bad outcome, like all these lanes are just clogged up again," Sunshine Citizen member Michelle Cookson said.
State transportation leaders say they would like to see multi-level transportation options on the table, but right now the bus system is underfunded with no light rail plan in place.
The cost of the improvements to the entire area is estimated at $400 million.