Work continues on the Howard Frankland Bridge. This won’t impact most drivers, but if you drive during the overnight hours in to Pinellas from Hillsborough, set a reminder. The southbound lanes on the bridge will close starting at 11pm Monday. They should be back open by 5am Tuesday, according to Channel 8.
Crews will be putting up new signs for the Gateway Expressway project. Drivers trying to cross the Howard Frankland southbound during the closure will be forced to exit at Dale Mabry, head south and then jump on the Gandy Bridge.
The Gateway Expressway project is constructing two new 2-lane elevated tolled roadways that will provide direct connections between US 19 and I-275, and the Bayside Bridge (north of 49th Street N) and I-275. [Source: Channel 8]
What a Completed Howard Frankland Bridge Will Look Like
As you drive over the Howard Frankland, you see progress, but it’s still pretty tough to imagine what all of this work is going to look like upon completion. Work won’t finish until late 2025 according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The cost is expected to be about $865 million.
A new southbound/westbound (from Tampa to St. Pete) bridge is what you see currently being built north of the current southbound/westbound bridge. It’ll have 8 lanes – 4 for general use and 4 express lanes. There’s a bike and pedestrian path in the plan. The bridge we use now to go from Tampa to St. Pete will become the new northbound/eastbound part of 275 once the new bridge is ready. The bridge we use to go from St. Pete to Tampa will be taken down.
Not patient enough to wait until 2025 to see what this is all going to look like? Nor am I. Here’s a sneak preview from artist renditions shared by the Florida Department of Transportation.
