New Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa ready for traffic after four years of construction, grand opening set for March 24

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Florida Construction News staff writer

The new Howard Frankland Bridge in Tampa is ready for traffic, four years after construction started.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold a grand opening ceremony March 24 at 10 a.m. before lanes open overnight.

Traylor is part of a joint venture selected to replace the northbound I-275 Howard Frankland Bridge connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg, over Old Tampa Bay. The new three-mile-long structure will be the widest bridge ever constructed in Florida, featuring four southbound general-purpose lanes, two southbound express lanes, two northbound express lanes, and a shares-use path that includes accommodations for a future light rail system.The existing southbound bridge, constructed by Traylor in the 1980s, will be converted to the new northbound I-275. When complete, the current northbound bridge will be removed. Construction began in the fall of 2020 and is expected to conclude in 2026.

The new eight-lane structure was designed with a higher elevation to minimize storm damage and wider concrete barriers to protect against saltwater corrosion.

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