The western end of the Green Spine starts at Howard Avenue and Cass Street, near the Armory in North Hyde Park. From there, three-foot raised concrete dividers separate two-way bike traffic from cars along Cass, through downtown, up Nuccio Parkway into Ybor City, and north on 15th Street to 17th Avenue. The last few blocks to Cuscaden Park follow a 14-foot shared-use sidewalk. On October 23, the City of Tampa said its portion of the 3.5-mile route is complete. A small segment near North 15th Street is still waiting for an FDOT contractor to finish it after interstate work, likely in the spring.
The City's construction is done, but much of what the track was meant to connect is not. The University of Tampa stretch of the West Riverwalk is still under construction, and the Gasworx marketplace on Nuccio is projected for 2027. If you live near the route, you can ride it this week. Within a year, the same ride should reach a Riverwalk connection at Cass Street, a grocery in Ybor, and an unbroken path at 15th Street.
Fourteen Years, Built From the Middle Out
The idea goes back to the City's 2012 InVision Tampa City Center Plan. The first piece opened in 2016, running along Cass downtown from the Cass Street Bridge to Nebraska Avenue. The track then grew outward in both directions. The Ybor extension started construction in January 2025 and continued the protected lanes up Nuccio, east to 15th Street, and north to 17th Avenue. From there, a 14-foot shared-use sidewalk runs along Cuscaden Park to 21st Avenue.
The last section was the western end, officially called Phase 2A. It runs along West Cass between Howard and Rome avenues, a little more than a third of a mile. Construction started in October 2025 and finished in September 2026. City Transportation Services Director Brandon Campbell told 83 Degrees Media that by completion it would be "a good 14 years in the making."
The City puts the total cost at about $8 million. Grants covered nearly 80 percent, and the City paid the remaining $1.6 million.
Because it was built from the middle out, the downtown core has had protected lanes for a decade. The two ends, where most of the new construction along the route is happening, are the newest parts of the track.
The Ride, West to East, as It Stands This Week
- Howard and Cass, North Hyde Park. This is the starting point by the Armory.
- Urban Jungalow, 1910 W. Cass St. This plant-based, gluten-free café sits on the newest stretch of track and opened in fall 2025.
- Rome Avenue detour to Rome Collective. Asana Partners' mixed-use project is a few blocks south of Cass on Rome Avenue. Its anchor is Lumbre at 220 N. Rome Ave., a modern Spanish restaurant from Tastes Pretty Good, the group behind Rocca. Lumbre was set to open July 15, 2026, with dinner from 5 p.m. nightly.
- Cousin Vinny's Sandwich Co., 1331 W. Cass St. This was the shop's first storefront, and it opened on January 14, 2025.
- Cass Street Bridge into downtown, then on to Nebraska Avenue. This is the original 2016 stretch.
- Nuccio Parkway past Gasworx. This 50-acre mixed-use district sits just south of Nuccio and Seventh Avenue. Its first residential building, La Unión Residence and Social Hall, opened in late 2024.
- North on 15th Street to Cuscaden Park at East 21st Avenue. This is the eastern end. Cuscaden Pool at 2900 N. 15th St. has an ADA zero-entry pool and an interactive water feature. The City's schedule lists it as closed for the season. The park also has outdoor basketball courts, and City parks are generally open sunrise to sunset.
Almost all of the open restaurants and cafés on that list are west of the river. East of Nebraska, the ride today mostly passes construction sites and a seasonal pool.
The Counter on Boulevard Shows the Route Was Busy Before It Was Finished
The City has an Eco-Counter at North Boulevard and Cass Street. It counted nearly 80,000 cyclists on the Green Spine in 2025 and nearly 60,000 so far in 2026, as of the City's October 23 announcement. The live data is public.
Spread over the months so far, 2026 is running a little behind 2025's pace. That 2026 total was counted while the western Cass section was under construction, from last October through September. The counter also sits east of that new section. As a result, this year's number shows mostly people using the older downtown and Ybor stretches. Next year's count will be the first full year with the western end open.
The businesses along the newest stretch are already planning around bike traffic. Urban Jungalow owner Justin Basil told the City of Tampa:
"We're a health-focused company. We intentionally installed a bike rack here because of the increase in traffic we get from, whether its cyclists, scooters, or pedestrians."
In the same announcement, Mayor Jane Castor said new businesses have opened along Cass Street and that residents use the track daily to get to work and school, exercise, and explore.
What Opens Next Along the Route
Campbell has already described the City's next step. "We are moving to a phase where we are doing connectors between these long-planned larger corridor projects," he told 83 Degrees Media. The biggest of those connectors, and several of the largest destinations along the route, have dates over the next year:
| Project | Where it meets the Green Spine | Status and timing |
|---|---|---|
| West Riverwalk, University of Tampa section | Runs nearly 2,000 feet from Plant Park to Cass Street | Under construction; expected to open by the end of 2026, weather permitting |
| Full West River BUILD project | Rome Avenue becomes a north-south bike route meeting Cass | Five of six segments under construction as of August 2026; completion expected spring 2027 |
| The Stevedore, Gasworx | Nuccio Parkway area | Residents moved in April 1, 2026; about 9,700 square feet of ground-floor retail, with no tenants announced as of March 2026 |
| The Luisa, Gasworx | Nuccio Parkway area | Duckweed Urban Grocery confirmed as a retail tenant; completion projected for spring 2027 |
| Gasworx marketplace | Preserved warehouse in the district | 28,000 square feet; projected for 2027 |
| Track segment near N. 15th Street | Ybor/East Tampa section | An FDOT contractor will finish it after interstate work, likely in spring |
Reports on the marketplace's timing vary. In early April 2026, Florida YIMBY said it was targeted for early 2027. Later that month, Tampa Bay 28 put it at spring or summer 2027 and said Gasworx planned to announce 15 to 20 tenants, including a restaurant-and-bar anchor.
The two ends will change on different schedules. The western end gets its Riverwalk connection first, and the UT section is targeted to open at Cass Street before the new year. The Ybor end gets its grocery, marketplace, and missing 15th Street segment in 2027. FDOT has listed spring 2027 for its I-275/I-4 interchange project, which includes work at 14th and 15th streets.
Riding It Without Owning a Bike
The City's shared micromobility page lists Lime and Spin as Tampa's e-bike and e-scooter vendors. Check the apps for vehicles near you. Riders must be 16 or older with a valid driver's license or learner's permit.
The same page bans shared vehicles on the Riverwalk, Bayshore Boulevard, and 7th Avenue. Two of those places touch this route. The Ybor extension starts where Nuccio Parkway meets Seventh Avenue, and the new UT section of the Riverwalk is set to end at Cass Street. The City also asks riders to wear helmets and to park in corrals without blocking sidewalks. These are City rules, so check the program page before you ride, since it has the current version. This post is general information, not legal advice.
Near 15th Street, expect FDOT's interstate work around the unfinished segment until it's done.
If the Green Spine is changing how you think about where you'd like to live in Tampa, or whether a home near Cass Street or Nuccio Parkway fits your plans for the next few years, Amy and the team at Garcia Group would be glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.
