Howard Frankland To Close This Weekend; New Bridge Project Begins

TAMPA BAY, FL — After a week's delay, the full closure of the Howard Frankland Bridge will take place Saturday at 8 p.m. until noon Sunday.

Lane closures will continue Sunday, Jan. 17 through Friday, Jan. 22 from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

This closure is necessary for crews to remove the 4th Street North (State Road 687) bridge over Interstate 275 as part of the Gateway Expressway project.

Message boards and temporary signage will assist I-275 travelers around this closure using detour routes including posted Roosevelt Boulevard, Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway. Drivers should add about 30 minutes of travel time for congestion and delays during this closure.

Once the overpass is removed, southbound I-275 Exit 32 (4th Street) will remain closed while crews construct a new ramp at the same location to accommodate the widening of I-275. This new exit ramp should open back up to traffic in late 2021. The 4th Street to I-275 North ramp will remain unchanged.

In April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that he was fast-tracking $2.1 billion in state transportation projects to take advantage of reduced traffic on state roadways due to the coronavirus pandemic including the reconstruction of the heavily traveled Howard Frankland Bridge. The 5.8-mile project is one of the priciest on DeSantis's list at $865.3 million. It's scheduled to be finished in 2025.

The original Howard Frankland Bridge was constructed in 1959 and a second bridge structure was added in 1991 to provide additional capacity across the Tampa Bay.

The most recent plans for the Howard Frankland Bridge were announced in early 2017 as part of Tampa Bay Next, a program designed to modernize Tampa Bay's transportation network, providing more capacity, relieving traffic congestion and accommodating alternatives to cars and trucks at a lower cost than adding lanes.

"The Howard Frankland is a design-build project, so significant construction will not be seen until later this year as the design is proceeding," said Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kristen Carson. "However, by advancing the project Notice to Proceed by a month, we will get to full construction at least a month earlier."

Carson said removing the 4th Street North bridge is a major undertaking that will require special equipment.

"We have worked with the contractor, and they are putting more geotechnical rigs out to collect information for the design than was originally planned," said Carson. "We have also developed a plan with the designer to expedite reviews and approvals. Overall, this will hopefully advance the start of the heavy construction by several months."

The new design is also intended to improve emergency response times, provide more efficient hurricane evacuation routes, improve operations for express bus service and provide future transit options such as light rail and autonomous vehicles.

The project encompasses replacing the existing northbound (1959) bridge. The new bridge will provide four general purpose lanes and two toll express lanes in each direction.

The project will also add a bike/pedestrian path that will connect Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The new bridge will be designed to carry heavier loads, such as light rail. Should Hillsborough and Pinellas counties approve a light rail transit system, the existing southbound (1991) bridge would then be widened and travel lanes shifted to the widened bridge.

During this weekend's road closure, drivers should use the Gandy and Courtney Campbell causeways as alternatives.

Other roadways (Bayside Bridge, Courtney Campbell Causeway and Memorial Highway) will remain accessible and provide an alternate route if needed.

See related stories:

• Long-Discussed Reconstruction Of Howard Frankland Gets Underway
• Howard Frankland Bridge Closure Postponed