A major Florida bridge upgrade project is underway.
Work is underway on the upgrade of the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa Bay, Florida – image courtesy of FDOT
Upgrade work is underway for the Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa, Florida at present. The link carries I-275 across Tampa Bay. The bridge dates back to 1959 and is no longer able to cope with demand, with the scheme to improve the link starting in 2017. The construction work itself commenced in 2020 and is due for completion in late 2025.
The project is being managed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), while the work is being carried out by a joint venture comprising Archer Western and Traylor Bros. The project has an estimated cost of US$865 million.
The work is delivering much-needed additional capacity for the link, which suffers from heavy congestion at peak periods. The improvements will see the link featuring in four lanes for general purpose traffic as well as two tolled lanes in either direction. A dynamic tolling system will be implemented with charges relating to traffic volumes. The new link will also feature a rail connection.
