State transportation officials have identified a swath of land in West Central Florida that someday might accommodate a superhighway, a rail system or some combination of both.

The 150-mile corridor runs through nine counties, avoiding towns, subdivisions and environmentally sensitive areas. It starts at Port Charlotte, in Charlotte County, and runs through Sarasota, Desoto, Hardee, Manatee, Polk, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando counties. In some places it's as wide as 30 miles.

"We're looking at the bigger picture," said Bob Clifford, project planner for the Florida Department of Transportation district that includes Tampa. "What do we believe the region will need from a transportation-corridor perspective 40 to 50 years from now?"

The New Corridors Study is years from getting off the ground.

Now up to 30 miles wide, the corridor would eventually be narrowed to 1,000 to 2,000 feet - more than twice the easement width for interstate highways.

At that size, it could accommodate a 10-lane superhighway, commuter rail, freight or a combination of those. It might also support special rapid bus transit lanes, truck lanes and even bike paths, Clifford said.

Getting to that level of detail will take years, he said. In the meantime, the DOT will solicit comment from county leaders, businesses and the public, probably starting next year.

Study Addresses Future

The study came at the urging of the Tampa Bay Partnership, an economic development group that started pressing county leaders three years ago to address future transportation needs.

"Not only is this critical because of the congestion on I-75 and I-275, but this is critical because our road systems are not being funded and are failing, and our population will double in the next 40 years," said Joe Smith, chairman of the partnership's transportation task force.

The study, started a year ago, will be completed by year's end. It will spur further discussion among county and state leaders about regional transportation needs.

"We'll take the temperature of the region and see if there really is interest or not, and where they want to go," Clifford said. "We're looking forward to that regional discussion."

Proposed Toll Road

The study comes as the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority is proposing a separate highway project to run through Manatee, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties.

That project, which also is in conceptual stages, would be a toll road running north-south in Hillsborough and Manatee counties and east-west in Pasco and Pinellas.

Eventually it could link to the larger state-funded corridor, but details about the New Corridors Study are elusive because the project looks far into the future.

It could be years before a path is drawn, which is why local planners are reluctant to embrace the corridor plan, even though they applaud the state for considering a regional approach to future traffic needs.

'A Conceptual Alignment'

"I think the message is 'yes,' the Hillsborough planning staff has been involved in looking at this, but it is still a conceptual alignment," said Ned Baier, manager of the county's transportation planning division. "As planners we have a responsibility to look to the future and to provide information to elected officials and to set policy."

"I think a holistic approach to our transportation problems is really what we have to do," said Shawn Harrison, a Tampa city councilman and chairman of the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization.

"We can't just add mass transit, but at the same time we can't just add more asphalt. We have to think in broader terms."

Reporter Rich Shopes can be reached at (813) 259-7633 or rshopes@tampatrib.com.