Gateway Expressway is to link Tampa Bay by early 2024.The construction of expressway have been nearly six years since it begun, and now officials at the state Department of Transportation say it is on track to be completed
There are two parts to the project
1. The building of the Gateway Expressway, which will give users of US 19 and the Bayside Bridge rapid access to I-275.
2. The widening of I-275 to add express tolled lanes (one lane in each direction) from south of Gandy Boulevard to 4th Street North.
Gateway Expressway is important because district serves as the gateway to Pinellas county and is a connecting hub for I-275, the U.S. 19 and the Bayside Bridge. The roads connect the towns of Pinellas to each other and to Pasco and Hillsborough counties.
The $595 million project will encompass two new toll highways linking the main roads, McShaffrey said. A fourlane elevated highway, connecting I275 to the U.S. 19, will be State Road 690. The interstate and the Bayside Bridge, heading north to eastern Clearwater and Safety Harbor, will be linked up by State Road 686A, which also has four lanes. By the time it’s merged into State Route 690, it will still be south of the old Sunshine Speedway site.
Due to this, the area frequently experiences traffic congestion from daily commuters as well as tourists traveling from Tampa International Airport to the world-famous beaches of Pinellas.
The St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and several Fortune 500 companies are also located in this district.
By 2022, the toll roads were expected to be operational, but like many other transportation-related projects, there were setbacks along the way. McShaffrey blamed the most recent delays on the hurricane season from the previous year as well as labor and supply shortages.
Overall, the Gateway Expressway project will alter the current road network to improve mobility, increase capacity, and enhance safety. Improvements to the project include
1.Build SR 690, a new 4-lane toll highway that connects US 19 with I-275 west of it. The tolling will be “static,” which means that it will always be the same price.
2.Rebuild Roosevelt Boulevard as it is now, from the Bayside Bridge to Ulmerton Road.
Also read:Construction of Kennedy Expressway in Chicago to begin in March 2023
