Tampa, Fla. (November 21, 2022) – For the Thanksgiving holiday, on Wednesday, November 23, 2022, the Selmon Expressway Reversible Express Lanes will be turned eastbound at 1:30 pm and remain in this configuration until 6:00 a.m. on Monday, November 28 when normal hours of operation will resume.

For more information, call 813.272.6740 or email [email protected]‐xway.com.

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November 14, 2022 (Tampa, Fla.) - The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) announces the conclusion of a $27 million innovation project the agency began in 2015, the THEA CV Pilot. The Pilot implemented connected vehicle (CV) technology into real-life scenarios using the Selmon Expressway as a living lab for testing.

The Pilot began in September 2015, when the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) designated THEA as a test bed for CV technology. The award led to a full-scale operation of CV devices throughout downtown Tampa, culminating in a collaboration between Honda, Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc, and Toyota Motor North America. This industry-wide collaboration is among the first of its kind, where auto manufacturers joined in deploying vehicles with CV technology to provide the next evolution of delivering safer transportation.

Thanks to THEA's efforts as an early adopter, Tampa was one of the first cities in the nation to deploy CV technology on actual city streets, fitting transportation infrastructure, transit vehicles, and over 1,100 volunteer drivers with the ability to receive safety alerts.

The THEA CV Pilot produced a massive amount of open shared data that can be used to help spur private/public collaborations, eventually resulting in better driving conditions. Data demonstrated that the THEA CV Pilot prevented 21 potential pedestrian crashes, delivered 19 red light violation warnings, avoided 17 potential vehicle collisions, alerted 14 wrong-way drivers, and issued over 20,000 safety advisories.

"These stats are impactful," said THEA Director of Planning and Innovation Robert Frey. "All of these alerts represent a person that avoided a traffic incident like a collision or crash."

Added Frey, "The pilot successfully demonstrated that connected vehicle technologies transmit crucial transportation information which can save the lives of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists."

The THEA CV Pilot consisted of four phases of programming: Phase 1 - planning, Phase 2 - development, Phase 3 - data collection, and Phase 4 - an industry-wide collaboration with auto manufacturers.

In Phase 4 alone, the THEA CV Pilot identified 150,000 interactions with CV-equipped vehicles, issued over 22,000 vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) warnings, and delivered almost 72 million Travel Information Messages (TIM).

"According to some of the early research, connected vehicle technology can address at least 78% of vehicle-to-vehicle related collisions,” said Honda Research Institute Chief Engineer Sue Bai. "The technology we have deployed in the THEA CV Pilot is paramount in achieving Honda’s vision for a collision-free society."

The THEA CV Pilot was the only program to implement real-time, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), and Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communications through the recruitment of Selmon Expressway drivers. It was also the only site in the country that produced real-time data. The other two sites awarded as part of the USDOT's Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program were New York City and the Interstate 80 corridor in Wyoming.

“Congratulations to Bob Frey and the entire CV Pilot team. Their passion and drive to implement and test this technology in Tampa is a game-changer for our industry and will result in lives being saved,” said THEA Executive Director and CEO Greg Slater.

The THEA Connected Vehicle Pilot comes to an end on September 30th, 2022. With the CV Pilot ending, THEA will continue its efforts in advancing the Selmon Expressway and implementing intelligent transportation systems. The Pilot's collected data will also be utilized to leverage existing technology on the I-4 Frame in partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in a $43 million program budgeted over the next six years.

For more information about the THEA CV Pilot, visit the website https://theacvpilot.com/.

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The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) is soliciting Request of Qualifications (RFQs). Qualified firms capable of assisting the Authority in the evaluation of potential transportation strategies and approaches for the optimal utilization of certain Authority-owned real estate properties throughout downtown Tampa should apply for consideration.

It is the Authority’s intent through this RFQ to engage a qualified real estate firm to assist the agency in evaluating the various uses that will be proposed for the agency-owned property assets. Services potentially sought by the agency include strategic project planning, financial analyses, market feasibility studies, financial plans or models, expertise with public and private funding and financial partners and instruments, and additional related services.

THEA Downtown Property Assets 

The agency is seeking a firm that has demonstrable experience in:

• Strategic real estate transportation-related advisory and planning services;
• Working with government entities, especially transportation-related entities;
• Working in or specified knowledge of the greater Tampa-Hillsborough County area;
• Assessing current real estate portfolios to identify opportunities for optimization of client’s real estate; assets, including development or sale;
• Developing plans to optimize and transform real estate, in accordance with the client’s mission, values, and master plans;
• Evaluating and executing alternative or innovative project funding and delivery methods, including those involving both public and private entities;
• Advising on transactions, including partner selection and negotiations;
• Market Feasibility Studies and Highest and Best Use Analysis

The Authority must receive all responses to RFQs no later than 11:15 am EST on January 17th, 2023. It shall be the sole responsibility of the Proposer to have its package delivered to the Authority by U.S. Mail, hand delivery, or any other method available to them. Electronic submittals will not be accepted. The submittal must be delivered to the Authority’s procurement department in one package, clearly marked on the outside, “Request for Qualifications No. E-1522 for Real Estate Planning Advisory Services for the Tampa Hillsborough County Expressway Authority,” with opening time and date, and sent or delivered to:

Shannon Bush – Contracts and Procurement Manager

1104 East Twiggs Street, Suite 300

Tampa, FL 33602

Phone: (813) 272-6740

Email: [email protected]

More information can be found on: 

https://www.tampa-xway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/E-1522-Real-Estate-Advisory-Services-RFP.pdf.

PLEASE NOTE: NOTICE OF CORRECTED SCHEDULE 

https://www.tampa-xway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/E-1522-Notice-of-Corrected-Schedule-of-Events.pdf