TPO presents multimodal trail plan to Temple Terrace council; feasibility analysis due

The Transportation Planning Organization on Jan. 6 briefed the Temple Terrace City Council on a multimodal network study that would stitch together pedestrian and bicycle routes across the city, connecting parks, schools and transit stops.

Connor Trejos McDonald, a TPO staff member, said the federally mandated agency funds local planning and had hired consultants to produce the study. Consultant Avaro Galvezin presented the draft route and the study methodology, saying public engagement included a May 1–June 30, 2025 survey that drew more than 100 responses and a stakeholder workshop with local agencies.

"We connected about 13 of the city's parks along this route," Galvezin said, describing how the team scored each segment for posted speed limit, existing infrastructure, transit access and public support. He said the study prioritizes segments with existing infrastructure as they provide the "multiplier effect" that can make incremental improvements more impactful.

The presentation emphasized that the next step is a planning-level cost and feasibility analysis, which will examine drainage, utility conflicts and right-of-way issues. Galvezin said staff expects to finalize the analysis by about February and return to the council on March 3 if the item is placed on the agenda for local review and comment.

Council members pressed for specifics about how the draft aligns with the city's Pedestrian Master Plan and how the plan would cross Fowler Avenue, a major arterial. The consultant said segments that require FDOT or county action (such as mid-block crossings on Fowler) are identified as dependencies and will be coordinated with those agencies during later stages.

The study includes alternatives and dashed-line "visionary" alignments where the team identified opportunities such as easements behind houses. Galvezin said those visionary options are presented for long-term consideration and scored separately from segments that can be built with existing infrastructure.

No formal council action was taken; staff said the study will move through TPO committees and then to the TPO board for potential adoption before returning to local councils for project-level decisions.