TAMPA, Fla. — Hate the "bottleneck" you encounter most days at the north end of the Howard Frankland Bridge approaching Tampa from St. Pete? Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation say they've heard you, and on Thursday they announced a major construction project aimed at making that bottleneck a thing of the past.
Here's five things to know about today's announcement and what the project holds in store for the area:
- First and foremost, cost: Slated for fiscal year 2023 - 2024, the project will cost an estimated $1.4 billion.
- The project will reconstruct the existing interchange between I-275, the Courtney Campbell Causeway (SR-60), the Veterans Expressway (SR-589), and access roads to Tampa International Airport, adding additional general purpose and express lanes.
- Designers hope the improvements will directly impact traffic congestion and increase safety in the Westshore Business District, which is the largest employment center in Tampa Bay.
- Improving the Westshore interchange was identified as the number one regional transportation priority by the area's Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), county commissions, and city councils in Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties.
- Construction on the project will be coordinated with the upcoming reconstruction of the Howard Frankland Bridge, which is set to begin next year.
Slide the bar at the center of the image below to see how the planned changes will affect the current exchange: