JV completes $865M Florida bridge expansion project

On March 25, a brand new span of Florida’s Howard Frankland Bridge, which crosses Outdated Tampa Bay and connects Tampa and St. Petersburg, opened to the general public, in keeping with native media reviews. The $865.3 million crossing is the most expensive in Florida’s history, in keeping with Axios.

The design-build endeavor was led by a design-build three way partnership of Atlanta-based Archer Western and Evansville, Indiana-based Traylor Bros., in keeping with the mission web page. 

The finished bridge serves as the brand new southbound leg of I-275 for 4 general-use lanes. It additionally carries 4 specific lanes, two in every course, that are slated to open subsequent yr, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The unique southbound span, adjoining to the brand new construction, will now carry northbound site visitors.  Earlier than the mission is full in spring 2026, the previous northbound bridge, initially opened in 1960, shall be eliminated, per the mission’s info web page.

The transit artery is likely one of the most used thruways within the area, as a median of 250,000 vehicles crossed the bridge every single day, in keeping with Axios. 

Along with the bridge, a bicycle and pedestrian pathway, separated from the roadway, continues to be underneath development, in keeping with the mission web page, and is slated to open in 2026.