TAMPA — For weeks, the fate, and state, of the now-infamous “K-Bar cut through” has played out in city council and on social media.
On July 16, the city finally confirmed what council member Luis Viera had already found for himself: the road is basically done.
“The timelines on these things are subject to the contingencies and challenges that developers run into,” said Tampa Mobility Director Brandon Campbell, “but the extension of the K-Bar Parkway … has been underway for some time now.”
The update answered questions that Viera had been asking for weeks.
The project, referred to as a cut-through but more accurately the extension of K-Bar Parkway east to Morris Bridge Road, is widely viewed as the most reasonable fix for improving emergency response times in the growing community.
When Fire Chief Barbara Tripp told Viera the “cut-through” was likely the strongest available solution at a June council meeting, she added she wasn’t sure of its status and said other departments were handling it. A firefighter union rep complained that despite approval two years ago, “not a tree has been taken down.”
Viera asked for answers, then decided to inspect the project himself. A New Tampa resident, he made the drive out to the road site, and discovered some sections were already paved and others had been prepped, and there was even a bridge over Basset Branch. By his estimate the road was two-thirds complete and documented his findings in a video posted to Facebook.
City staff confirmed the progress at the last council meeting, filling in details Viera and the fire department did not have. Campbell told council the developer had cleared its biggest obstacle, building a crossing over Basset Branch.
“I believe the biggest challenge that they have encountered was finding a way to get across the creek,” Campbell said. “I’m happy to report that the contractor and the developer out there has completed the series of culverts for the bridge there to get across, and they are currently working on final compaction, getting ready for their final lift of asphalt.”
The remaining holdup is utility testing, which needs to be completed before paving can proceed, so that crews don’t have to dig up fresh asphalt if something goes wrong.
Campbell said the developer is now tentatively targeting paving for the end of July or early August. Once the road passes inspection, it will be handed over to the city and become a public street.
The completed roadway is expected to cut response times from Fire Station 22 by more than half for homes in eastern K-Bar Ranch by providing a direct connection to Morris Bridge Road. Fire Station 22 is located about three miles southwest of the new entrance to K-Bar Ranch on Cross Creek Boulevard.
Typically, a truck from Station 22 would have to travel Cross Creek Boulevard to Kinnan Street, then north to western main entrance to K-Bar, then back east.
Viera used the update to underscore why the road matters. Three of the city’s four slowest-responding fire stations are in New Tampa.
The other council members treated the update as good news, even teasing Viera, who has complained about the extension and fire response times in K-Bar Ranch for years.
Council member Lynn Hurtak asked him if he was going to host a ribbon-cutting ceremony once the road opens.
Viera smiled and said “hell yeah” while the other council members laughed.