How THEA Funds Projects

The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) is an independent agency of the state that owns, maintains, and operates four facilities within Hillsborough County: the Selmon Expressway, the Brandon Parkway, Meridian Avenue, and the Selmon Greenway.

THEA does not use taxpayer dollars to fund its projects. Instead, the agency pays for roadway maintenance and improvements by using revenue generated by tolls and securing bonds to finance large projects, like the Selmon Extension. THEA also uses the collected revenue for funding landscaping efforts, lightning design, artwork, or any other beautification project.

THEA reinvests the toll revenue back into the community, providing our region with a transportation system that secures regional connectivity to our residents and visitors. Through PD&E Studies that we fund, our agency looks at current and future traffic models to predict what is needed to keep traffic moving smoothly. Our projects incorporate Vision Zero goals and other initiatives that the city or county has deemed as important to the community. We also engage our community to provide us with feedback on what is needed and wanted. All the research and project planning is funded by toll revenue and bonds.

To be a good partner with cities and communities, we look to preserve green spaces, enhance transit plans with better connectivity from our roads and trails, build sidewalks, add bike lines, signalized timings at crosswalks, and beautify underpasses of the Selmon Expressway. The underpass projects are a team effort with our agency and neighborhood associations, with coordinated funding from THEA and the associations. All our projects and funding must get approved by our Board of Directors and comes with an internal feasibility review.

Our agency is focused on improving transportation mobility and safety throughout the Tampa Bay region, enhancing the community, and activating urban spaces utilizing toll revenue and bond issues only.