On March 25, a new span of Florida’s Howard Frankland Bridge, which crosses Old Tampa Bay and connects Tampa and St. Petersburg, opened to the public, according to local media reports. The $865.3 million crossing is the most expensive in Florida’s history, according to Axios.
The design-build endeavor was led by a design-build joint venture of Atlanta-based Archer Western and Evansville, Indiana-based Traylor Bros., according to the project page.
The completed bridge serves as the new southbound leg of I-275 for four general-use lanes. It also carries four express lanes, two in each direction, which are slated to open next year, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The original southbound span, adjacent to the new structure, will now carry northbound traffic. Before the project is complete in spring 2026, the old northbound bridge, originally opened in 1960, will be removed, per the project’s information page.
The transit artery is one of the most used thruways in the region, as an average of 250,000 cars crossed the bridge every day, according to Axios.
In addition to the bridge, a bicycle and pedestrian pathway, separated from the roadway, is still under construction, according to the project page, and is slated to open in 2026.