Hillsborough County to pay firm $900K for transportation plan

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Parsons Brinckerhoff, a New York-based engineering and consulting firm, has been hired to develop a transportation plan for Hillsborough County.

The firm will be paid $900,000 by the county to create a comprehensive plan that can be delivered to the city in March, the Tampa Tribune said. Much of the effort will be listening to citizens and consolidating their input on how they would like to see transportation infrastructure improved in the area.

"We want to go out there and listen, then verify what we heard," said George Walton, executive vice president at Brinckerhoff's Tampa office.

Possible improvements include road, bridge and trail upgrades as well as expanded bus service and a light rail line connecting Westshore and downtown Tampa, the Tribune said. A one cent sales tax increase will be put before voters in 2016.

Bob Clifford, the first and only director of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, took a job with Parsons Brinckerhoff earlier this year.