RNC = Road Closures & Transit Detours

Please note that due to the rapidly changing information; this post will be periodically updated. Be sure to check back for updates. The last update to this post was on 7/31/12.

On July 23, 2012, the US Secret Service unveiled its listing of roadway closures throughout the Tampa Bay Area during the Republican National Convention. And boy do we have a lot of thoroughfares on the list. Most of the closures will be centered in around downtown Tampa; where the event will be held. However, due to RNC events in downtown St. Pete; some roadways there will be closed as well.

In Tampa; some of the roadways to be closed during the RNC (which will be held August 26 through the 30) include the following:

• Bayshore Blvd northeast of Swann Ave (Access will be available to the Davis Islands)
• Platt St, Brorien St, and Frankland St bridges
• Basically every single downtown roadway south of Whiting St (access to Harbour Island will be limited)
• The Lee Roy Selmon Expressway between Willow Ave and 50th St (the Reversible Lanes will remain open)
• Tampa Bay Blvd between Dale Mabry Hwy & Himes Ave

In St. Pete; many city roadways will be closed; in addition to Interstate 175.

In addition to the roadway closures; parking and pedestrian access through both cities will be restricted.

For the full list of roadways impacted (including maps of the affected areas); click here. To view the article on Bay News 9; click here.

Click “Continue Reading” for updates on Public Transit Restrictions/Detours.

Public Transit Detours

• Tampa (HART) – Updated 8/14/12 – Click here for detour information & maps
  • The TECOline Streetcar will only operate between the Tampa Tribune Station (Channelside @ Meridian) and Ybor City. Operating hours and frequencies may be restricted.
  • HART Local Bus Routes 4, 7, 8, & 19 will all be detoured accordingly.
  • HART Local Bus Routes 30 & 46 will experience heavy delays. Route 46 will also truncate at the Marion Transit Center
    
  • Neither Route 19 or 46 will serve the Davis Islands: A special shuttle will operate between Willow Ave (@ Platt & Cleveland) and the Davis Islands to serve Tampa General Hospital.
  • Nearly every HART Express Route will be impacted in some way. Routes 22X, 24X, 25LX, 27LX, 28X, & 47LX will be detoured accordingly.
    
  • The In-Town Trolley will be detoured accordingly.

HART has modified its Constant Contact subscription to allow you to sign up for special transit email alerts for services impacted by the RNC. Click here to sign up!

• St. Pete (PSTA) – Updated 8/10/12 – Click here for detour information
  • Many PSTA bus routes that traverse downtown St. Pete will be impacted. Click the above link to see a full list of routes that will be impacted during the opening event at Tropicana Field on Sunday, August 26, 2012. Below are the detours for PSTA’s express routes into Tampa.
  • Route 100X will follow its regular route between Gateway Mall & Britton Plaza. However, the segment between Britton Plaza & Downtown Tampa will be detoured via Dale Mabry Hwy & I-275 due to the closure of the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway through downtown. Buses will enter/exit I-275 via Exit 44 (Ashley Drive) and will connect to/from the Marion Transit Center via Cass & Tyler Streets.
  • Route 300 will follow its regular route.
  • Expect delays on both express routes; as intermittent closures on I-275 are possible due to transporting RNC delegates across counties.

As more details become available regarding transit detours; I will update this post. Be sure to check with HART & PSTA for the latest updates.

And Remember! If your travels do not take you through downtown Tampa & St. Pete, please avoid these areas altogether.

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Municipal Services to be limited during the RNC.

As mentioned in my previous post; many city & county services will be limited during the RNC. Please visit the links below for more information. You can also view news, highlights, and maps of the event areas.

• City of Tampa
• Hillsborough County
• City of St. Pete
• Pinellas County – Info is not available

At the moment; I can’t find any info for Pinellas County, if you happen to locate information, please drop me a line via the Contact Form.

Warmest Regards;

HARTride 2012