Florida has launched a $340-million project to widen Interstate 275 in Pinellas County, the latest step in the state’s $7-billion Moving Florida Forward program and a follow-on to the recently completed Howard Frankland Bridge replacement.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced the express-lane expansion Aug. 26 at Tampa International Airport alongside Florida Dept. of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue.
Rendering shows FDOT’s planned I-275 express lane expansion in Pinellas County, adding two tolled lanes in each direction by 2030.
The project, awarded earlier in August under a traditional design-bid-build contract to Tampa-based Prince Contracting LLC, will add two tolled express lanes in each direction along a 7.5-mile stretch north of downtown Tampa.
FDOT said the work includes reconstruction of four interchanges—at 38th Avenue N, 54th Avenue N, Gandy Boulevard and Roosevelt Boulevard—plus modifications to 14 bridges. The scope also calls for noise barriers and a continuous shared-use path along Ulmerton Road, which will connect directly to the Howard Frankland’s new pedestrian and cycling facility.
Documents examined by ENR show the express-lane expansion is scheduled for phased openings, with full completion expected in late 2030. FDOT estimates that, combined with the Howard Frankland replacement, the improvements will generate $1.42 billion in regional economic benefits and reduce travel delays by up to 85%.
In addition to shortening commutes, agency officials stated that the work is designed to enhance freight reliability for the Port of Tampa and the I-4 corridor, while preserving I-275’s role as a hurricane evacuation route.
RELATED NEWS
Bridge Builders Take Tricky Trip Across Tampa Bay
The Howard Frankland Bridge project—delivered under design-build by Archer Western–Traylor Bros. Joint Venture with AtkinsRéalis as CEI consultant—opened its new southbound lanes earlier this year.
FDOT called the $973-million bridge the largest transportation project ever completed in District 7. It carries four general-purpose lanes, four tolled express lanes and a 12-ft-wide separated shared-use path.
Demolition of the original 1960s northbound span is underway, with completion expected in 2026.
FDOT’s Moving Florida Forward program, launched in 2023, combines $4 billion in general revenue funding with leveraged financing to total $7 billion for accelerating more than 20 major highway and bridge projects statewide.
The agency said the initiative is allowing high-priority projects such as the I-275 expansion to advance 15 years earlier than previously scheduled.
Perdue said the Tampa Bay investments underscore Florida’s approach to delivering major transportation upgrades quickly. “We are making generational investments in Florida’s transportation system,” he said.
DeSantis called the corridor improvements emblematic of Florida’s broader strategy to accommodate growth. “Most of the infrastructure here was built decades ago,” he said. “We’re not only catching up, we’re planning for the future.”
ENR requested additional information from FDOT, but had not received a response before press time.
