W. Howard Frankland Bridge | |
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![]() Aerial view of the bridge in 2018 | |
Coordinates | 27°55′41″N82°35′15″W / 27.92793°N 82.58755°W |
Carries | 8 lanes of ![]() |
Crosses | Old Tampa Bay |
Locale | St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida |
Other name(s) | Howard Franklin, Frankland Bridge |
Named for | William Howard Frankland |
Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
ID number | 150107 (northbound) 150210 (southbound) |
Characteristics | |
Total length | 15,872 ft (4,838 m) (northbound) 15,900 ft (4,846 m) (southbound) |
Width | 58.4 ft (17.8 m) (northbound) 68.9 ft (21.0 m) (southbound) |
Clearance below | 43 ft (13 m) (northbound) 48.9 ft (14.9 m) (southbound) |
History | |
Opened | 1960 (northbound) 1990 (southbound) |
Statistics | |
Daily traffic | 135,000 (2006) [1] [2] [3] |
Location | |
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The W. Howard Frankland Bridge is the central fixed-link bridge spanning Old Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Hillsborough County and Pinellas County; the others being Gandy Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway. The bridge carries Interstate 275 and is by far the most traveled of the bay's bridges. [1] [2] [3]
Work began in fall 2020 to rebuild this bridge with separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes, with completion expected in late 2025. The new bridge will be north of the existing bridge. As a result, traffic is able to use the existing bridge while the new, bigger bridge is being built. The existing southbound bridge will be converted to northbound lanes, once the new bridge is completed. [4]
The bridge is often incorrectly referred to as the Howard Franklin Bridge.
Named for the man who proposed it, Tampa businessman Howard Frankland, the bridge opened in April 1960 and carried four lanes (two lanes in each direction separated by a short, narrow barrier). The bridge and approaches cost $16 million. [5]
Because of the bridge's design, including its lack of emergency shoulders, it proved to be dangerous. Accidents were common on the bridge and traffic backed up on both sides, leading to local nicknames, the "Howard Frankenstein Bridge" and "The Car-Strangled Spanner". [6] In 1962, a steel-reinforced tapered concrete barrier was installed "to prevent cars from hurtling the median and crashing into oncoming traffic." Ten people had already died. [7] The bridge was the subject of a 60 Minutes broadcast in the 1960s noting the below-average construction methods used.[ citation needed ]
Planning for a larger-capacity replacement began in 1978. Original plans ranged from a large, multi-lane suspension (or similar type) bridge, to two parallel bridges (with the central span reserved for HOV lanes). As traffic projections increased, further exacerbated by a disaster on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in 1980, it was clear that the new bridge would need to handle at least eight lanes (four in each direction). By 1987, it was concluded that a parallel, four lane span would be built. Plans were also made to rehabilitate the older bridge after the new bridge opened.
Construction began on the new span in 1988. The new $54 million southbound span was opened to traffic in 1990. The older bridge was then closed, rehabilitated, and reopened in 1992. The older northbound span is shorter and has a steeper hump than the newer southbound span.
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Before the parallel bridge was built, I-275 utilized a bypass designation system. Whenever there would be a major delay at the Howard Frankland Bridge, special signs would alert drivers to the delay and direct them to utilize the bypass, which ran along SR 694 and across the Gandy Bridge, to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, Willow Avenue, Howard Avenue, and ending at Interstate 275. Special shields (marked N and S) along the route made sure that drivers were using the correct thoroughfare.[ citation needed ]
After the widening project in 1992, Interstate 275 was increased to eight lanes on the bridge itself. However, this did not increase capacity on either end of the bridge. Backups were still seen on the Howard Frankland heading into Tampa, primarily due to a bottleneck at the SR 60/Veterans Expressway exit. On the St. Petersburg side, after a comprehensive reconstruction project that took over ten years, lane counts were increased from four lanes prior to the bridge to six lanes through downtown St. Petersburg, and eight lanes from Gandy Boulevard to the bridge.
A reconstruction project was planned to begin in 2017 for the new Gateway Expressway project, a plan to build a new toll road to connect different parts in Pinellas County. However, FDOT planned to reconstruct the interstate in smaller phases rather than the original larger two-phase project and the start of construction was delayed to 2020.
Once the reconstruction project is finished in 2025, major traffic congestion on the Howard Frankland bridge is expected to be significantly reduced by the addition of new lanes. [8] On January 7, 2021, FDOT postponed by a week to January 16, 2021 the start date for removing an overpass and the corresponding exit ramp over I-275. It had been scheduled to shut down by 8 p.m., EST, January 9, through January 10. This work was part of the U.S. $600 million toll road project. [9] On January 16 to 17, 2021, workers removed the 4th street north interchange bridge (overpass) from 8 p.m. on January 16, to 12 p.m. on January 17. Exit 32 was closed until late 2021 while the new overpass is constructed. [10]
Overall construction on this large project began in fall 2020 and completion is expected in late 2025. [4] A completely new bridge will carry southbound traffic. Once that bridge is completed, the existing southbound bridge will be converted to carry northbound traffic. When all traffic is moved to the final alignment, the existing northbound bridge will be removed. [4] The newly built bridge for southbound traffic will include a separate pathway for pedestrian and bicycle traffic, and additional vehicle traffic lanes. [4]
Interstate 4 (I-4) is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Florida, maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Spanning 132.30 miles (212.92 km) along a generally southwest–northeast axis, I-4 is entirely concurrent with State Road 400 (SR 400). In the west, I-4 begins at an interchange with I-275 in Tampa. I-4 intersects with several major expressways as it traverses Central Florida, including US Highway 41 (US 41) in Tampa; US 301 near Riverview; I-75 near Brandon; US 98 in Lakeland; US 27 in unincorporated Davenport; US 192 in Celebration; Florida's Turnpike in Orlando; and US 17 and US 92 in multiple junctions. In the east, I-4 ends at an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, while SR 400 continues for roughly another four miles (6.4 km) and ends at an intersection with US 1 on the city line of Daytona Beach and South Daytona.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge, sometimes referred to as the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge, the Sunshine Skyway, or simply "the Skyway", is a pair of long beam bridges with a central tall cable-stayed bridge that spans Lower Tampa Bay to connect Pinellas County to Manatee County. The current Sunshine Skyway opened in 1987 and is the second bridge of that name on the site. It was designed by the Figg & Muller Engineering Group and built by the American Bridge Company. The bridge is considered the flagship bridge of Florida and serves as a gateway to Tampa Bay. The four-lane bridge carries Interstate 275 and U.S. Route 19, passing through Pinellas County, Hillsborough County and Manatee County. It is a toll bridge, with a toll assessed on two-axle vehicles traveling in either direction at a rate of $1.75 cash or $1.16 with the state's SunPass system.
U.S. Route 92 or U.S. Highway 92 is a 181-mile (291 km.) U.S. Route entirely in the U.S. state of Florida. The western terminus is at US 19 Alt. and SR 687 in downtown St. Petersburg. The eastern terminus is at SR A1A in Daytona Beach.
Interstate 375 (I-375) in St. Petersburg, Florida, also known as North Bay Drive, is a 1.2-mile-long (1.9 km) spur route from I-275 into downtown. It is also designated as the unsigned State Road 592 (SR 592). There is a sibling segment of freeway nearby that is designated I-175.
Interstate 275 (I-275), located in Florida, is a 60-mile-long (97 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway serving the Tampa Bay area. Its southern terminus is at I-75 near Palmetto, where I-275 heads west towards the Sunshine Skyway Bridge crossing over Tampa Bay. From that point, I-275 passes through St. Petersburg before crossing Tampa Bay again on the Howard Frankland Bridge, then continues through the city of Tampa, where it connects to an interchange with I-4 in Downtown Tampa. After the interchange, I-275 passes north through the Tampa suburbs to its northern terminus at I-75 in Wesley Chapel.
State Road 589 (SR 589), also known as the Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway, is a controlled-access toll road near the Florida Gulf Coast. Maintained and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, this 68-mile (109 km) transportation corridor extends from State Road 60 in Tampa, north to State Road 44 near Lecanto. The Veterans Expressway was built to accommodate the increasing commuter traffic in the Tampa-St. Petersburg metropolitan area, with the Suncoast Parkway opening in 2001, extending from near the northern terminus of the Veterans Expressway to U.S. Route 98, with a possible northern extension to U.S. Route 19/U.S. Route 98 in Crystal River in Citrus County in the planning and development stages. As of February 28, 2022, Phase I of the extension is now open between US 98 and Florida State Road 44. Phase II, which would further extend the highway to County Road 486, is undergoing the design phase.
State Road 93 (SR 93) is the unsigned Florida Department of Transportation designation for most of Interstate 75 (I-75) in Florida. It runs from the Georgia state line to the interchange with the Palmetto Expressway and the Gratigny Parkway in Miami Lakes near the Opa-locka, Florida, Airport.
State Road 618, also known as the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, and formerly known as the Crosstown Expressway, is a 14.168-mile (22.801 km) controlled-access toll road in Hillsborough County, Florida. It connects the South Tampa neighborhood near MacDill Air Force Base with Downtown Tampa and the bedroom community of Brandon. The expressway was built in stages, opening between 1976 and 1987. An approximately 1.9-mile extension to the thoroughfare's western terminus opened to traffic on Monday, April 19, 2021.
Gandy Bridge is the southernmost bridge spanning Old Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa, Florida. The original 1924 span was dismantled in 1975. The second bridge, constructed in 1956 was used for vehicular traffic until 1997, when it was converted to recreational use by non-motorized traffic. It became known as the Friendship Trail Bridge and was demolished in 2016, after closing in 2008 due to hazardous conditions and several failed efforts to preserve the span. The third (1975) and fourth (1997) spans of the Gandy Bridge are currently being used for vehicle traffic.
Locally known as Gulf Boulevard and Blind Pass Road, State Road 699 is a 15-mile-long road running the length of the Pinellas County barrier islands in the Gulf of Mexico and serving the popular beaches near St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Largo. The southern terminus of SR 699 is at the extreme western end of Pinellas Bayway in St. Pete Beach; the northern terminus is the extreme western end of SR 688 in Indian Rocks Beach. State Road 699 is the closest Gulf Coast analog to SR A1A on the Atlantic coast of Florida: indeed, the southernmost two miles (3 km) of SR 699 are part of a loop that Florida Department of Transportation designated as A19A.
The Courtney Campbell Causeway is the northernmost bridge across Old Tampa Bay, carrying State Road 60 between Clearwater, Florida in Pinellas County and Tampa, Florida in Hillsborough County.
State Road 414 (SR 414) is an expressway in the U.S. state of Florida encompassing the John Land Apopka Expressway and Maitland Boulevard.
State Road 694 (SR 694) is an east–west route in Pinellas County, running from SR 693 in Pinellas Park to U.S. Route 92 in St. Petersburg.
The Bayside Bridge is a girder bridge in Pinellas County which crosses over the northwesternmost end of Tampa Bay, connecting Clearwater, Florida and Largo, Florida. Construction began in the early 1990s and was completed in the summer of 1993, officially opening for traffic on June 2 of that year. Originally conceived in the 1970s as the 49th Street Bridge, a toll-levied part of the 12-mile (19 km) Pinellas Parkway, the current six-lane twin-span bridge provides direct, unmitigated access from eastern Clearwater to St. Petersburg/Clearwater International Airport by connecting McMullen Booth Road to 49th Street North and also serves as a bypass for heavily congested US 19.
Interstate 75 (I-75) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from the Hialeah–Miami Lakes border, a few miles northwest of Miami, to Sault Ste. Marie in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I-75 begins its national northward journey near Miami, running along the western parts of the Miami metropolitan area before traveling westward across Alligator Alley, resuming its northward direction in Naples, running along Florida's Gulf Coast, and passing the cities of Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Venice, and Sarasota. The freeway passes through the Tampa Bay area before turning inward toward Ocala, Gainesville, and Lake City before leaving the state and entering Georgia. I-75 runs for 471 miles (758 km) in Florida, making it the longest Interstate in the state and also the longest in any state east of the Mississippi River. The Interstate's speed limit is 70 mph (110 km/h) for its entire length in Florida.
U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) runs about 262 miles (422 km) along Florida's west coast from an interchange with US 41 in Memphis, south of Tampa, and continues to the Georgia border north of Monticello.
There have been plans in Florida for expressways, but some were never constructed due to financial problems, community opposition and environmental issues.
The Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, or TBARTA, was a regional transportation agency of the U.S. state of Florida which was created on July 1, 2007. The transportation agency ceased all operations on December 30, 2023, after the governing board voted unanimously to disband. The purpose of the agency was "to plan, develop, finance, construct, own, purchase, operate, maintain, relocate, equip, repair, and manage multimodal systems in Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, and Pinellas Counties." The agency coordinated its efforts with the Florida Department of Transportation to improve transportation in the Tampa Bay Area.
The Gateway Expressway is a controlled-access toll road in Pinellas County, Florida completed in April 2024 at a cost of $598 million. The project consists of two branches: an elevated highway to be designated State Road 690 above 118th Avenue North between Interstate 275 (I-275) and U.S. Highway 19 and a raised highway in the median of SR 686 from 118th Avenue North to the Bayside Bridge. Construction was approved in February 2014, began in November 2017, and completed on April 26, 2024.
Gateway, also called the "Gateway area", or "Gateway District", is a 30-square-mile (78 km2) major business district of Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As it is a major employment center located in an area of suburban density, it is considered an edge city. As of 2019, an increase in construction of residential complexes indicate that Gateway is turning into a mixed business and residential area.
The new bridge is being built north of the current southbound/westbound (St. Petersburg to Tampa) interstate bridge. The new bridge will consist of eight lanes; four general use lanes, (Tampa to St. Petersburg) and four Express lanes; two lanes from the St. Petersburg side toward Tampa, two lanes from the Tampa side toward St. Petersburg. A bicycle/pedestrian pathway separated from the roadway will is also included. The existing southbound/westbound (Tampa to St. Petersburg) bridge will be converted to the new northbound/eastbound I-275 (St. Petersburg to Tampa). Once the new bridge is built and all traffic is moved to the final alignment, the existing northbound/eastbound (St. Petersburg to Tampa) bridge will be removed.