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

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.