TAMPA, Fla. — Road improvements are underway in the historic neighborhood of West Tampa.

Main Street is getting some upgrades.

It’s the latest “Quick Build” project that the city of Tampa is doing to improve safety at a low cost.

“That’s what we want. Walkable, livable community in West Tampa,” said Joe Robinson, chair of the West Tampa Community Advisory Committee. 

Robinson is a Tampa native who is excited to see changes coming to his neighborhood. He has been pushing for redevelopment there, with new businesses and housing now on the way.

That vision includes improving roads, like Main Street.

“I’ve been waiting on this for 50 years. It’s a great feeling to see where I grew up see some redevelopment occurring,” Robinson said.

Work is underway to re-surface Main Street from Armenia Avenue to Rome Avenue.

New roadway markings will add crosswalks and more than 200 parking spots.

The idea of the Quick Build project is to make fast safety improvements at a lower cost to taxpayers.

“It costs $300,000 and is going to allow cyclists and pedestrians to traverse this main street area safely,” Mayor Jane Castor said in a news conference about the project.

The hope is those changes can reduce crashes, speed and make the area more walkable as it continues to be redeveloped. 

“When you do a street like this, with this quick build, it organizes the flow of traffic,” Robinson said. “It organizes the biking. It organizes the walking. It’s an organized approach to controlling mobility.”

Work on the project started earlier this month and is expected to be finished by mid-February.