Guest: Greg Slater, Executive Director, Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA)
Hosts: Alex Fakeri (Mojo) with guest host Pat Wicketts (CSG)
Sponsored by CSG
1. Redesign for the city you have, not the one you inherited
Tampa’s population is growing faster than planned. The median age is now 33 and travel patterns look very different from the city that existed when the expressway was built. THEA is redesigning ramps and access points to match how the region moves today.
What changed
- Ramps designed for low density areas now empty into busy neighborhoods and venues
- Backups appear where flow used to be consistent
- High speed ramps serving Emily Arena and downtown need reconfiguration
- THEA is removing outdated ramps and replacing them with modern alignments
“The whole city has grown up around us. The system was built for a very different city.”
Greg Slater, Executive Director, THEA
Bottom line: Infrastructure built for past growth cannot support current travel behavior. Redesign is required to keep the region moving.
2. Under expressway space is community space
THEA is turning shaded land under the expressway into active community space. A multi mile greenway already connects key parts of the city and a new master plan will expand this activation work.
What they built
- A shaded pedestrian and cycling greenway under the expressway
- Lighting and landscaping that support safe non vehicle travel
- A long term plan that includes pickleball courts, dog parks and open community zones
- New connectors that link neighborhoods on both sides of the corridor
“We are creating environments that activate the space and connect communities on both sides of the expressway.”
Greg Slater, Executive Director, THEA
Bottom line: When space under the expressway becomes an asset, mobility and community outcomes both improve.
3. Plan around the full customer journey
THEA looks at why people travel, not just how they use a tolled segment. Purpose and movement across the entire day shape infrastructure decisions.
What they do today
- Study door-to-door patterns including work, freight and event travel
- Use customer journey insights to inform ramp design and capital planning
- Analyze where expressway assets support or create friction
- Reinvest 100 percent of revenue into improvements that align with community needs
“To understand my customer, I need to know their whole journey and why they are taking it.”
Greg Slater, Executive Director, THEA
Bottom line: A complete journey view leads to better design decisions than toll segment analysis alone.
4. AI supports decisions that manual work cannot scale
AI featured in the discussion as a practical tool, not a buzzword. The message was consistent. AI is useful only when agencies understand full customer journeys and can provide accurate inputs. THEA works with local universities that have strong AI research programs and uses its reversible expressway as a testbed for new technology.
What is happening today
- Agencies cannot manually process the volume of trip and flow data generated daily
- AI agents require complete inputs built on real movement patterns
- University partnerships and controlled testbeds help THEA evaluate AI safely
- AI can surface inconsistencies and patterns faster than manual review
Bottom line: AI is most effective when it supports specific operational decisions grounded in real customer behavior.
One principle that cuts through
“Infrastructure must evolve with the city. Growth requires continuous redesign.”
Greg Slater, Executive Director, THEA
Listen to the episode
For the full conversation including ramp redesign, under expressway activation and how journey insights inform planning, listen to this episode of Toll Talk
If you want to improve billing clarity and reduce inbound questions, CSG powers print and digital communication workflows designed for tolling agencies. Learn more at csgi.com.
Listen to the episode
From greenways to ramp redesigns and AI-driven insights, THEA is building a mobility network for a younger, faster-growing Tampa. Listen to the CSG Sponsored Toll Talk episode.
