ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — It has been 13 months since the bridge from southbound Interstate 275 to northbound Interstate 75 closed for reconstruction.

The project is behind schedule, so Real Time Traffic Expert Chuck Henson spoke with the state to find out what is holding up the work.

The bridge was closed in July of last year.

Pete Shackett is one of the thousands who used that bridge on a regular basis. He lives in Palmetto and makes frequent trips to St. Petersburg.

"And coming back this way, obviously we were having a lot of difficulty trying to remember to get off at 41," he said. "And then trying to tell friends that wanted to come and visit from St. Petersburg how to get here was a nightmare."

The trouble isn't just for local residents. Think of the commercial trucks from the interstate that are flooding roads they are not supposed to be on, like Moccasin Wallow Road.

"Even though that road's not built for semis and it's not meant for large trucks, if you drive down that way practically any time of day or night, it's loaded with people coming from that area," Shackett said.

With every major project there are unforeseen circumstances, and that's been the case here, according to Lauren Hatchell with the Florida Department of Transportation.

"When the contractor went in to complete portions of the concrete removal, they found portions of the bridge structure that had deterioration that they weren't aware of at the time," Hatchell said. "So that did set them back just a little bit."

Fixing those items needs to happen before the original project to replace the concrete surface of the bridge can start.

Things are back on track and Hatchell says they hope to have traffic back on the bridge by the end of October.

Once open, the new span will be good for about another 40 years. Keep in mind that between now and then, Moccasin Wallow Road is not part of the official detour. You should drive up to College Avenue to rejoin northbound I-75.