​Southbound US 19 Frontage Road To Be Closed South Of 126th Avenue

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — The southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road will be closed to thru traffic south of 126th Avenue from 10 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 to 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6, weather permitting.

Detour routes:

• Southbound Frontage Road: Turn right onto westbound 126th Avenue North, turn left onto southbound 66th Street North, and then make a left turn onto Bryan Dairy Road and go east back to Southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road.
• Southbound U.S. 19 to southbound Frontage Road: Take the exit to Ulmerton Road and continue straight across Ulmerton Road until you reach 126th Avenue North. Turn right onto westbound 126th Avenue North, turn left onto southbound 66th Street North and then make a left turn onto Bryan Dairy Road and go east back to southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road.
• Southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road Homes and Businesses: Local traffic wishing to access Southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road between 126th Avenue North and Bryan Dairy Road will be directed by additional signage and flaggers to access local homes and businesses. The southbound-only roadway will temporarily be turned into two-way traffic for drivers to go to and from local homes and businesses in the closed area of the Southbound U.S. 19 Frontage Road between 126th Avenue North and the work area north of Bryan Dairy Road.

The closure is needed for bridge construction related to the Gateway Expressway project.

The Gateway Expressway project is constructing two new toll roads that will provide direct connections between U.S. 19 and Interstate 275, and the Bayside Bridge (north of 49th Street North) and I-275. Express lanes are being built on I-275.

Related:

• Howard Frankland Bridge, U.S. 19 To Close For Gateway Project
• Long-Discussed Reconstruction Of Howard Frankland Gets Underway
• 'Roadwork Ahead' Signs To Be Fixture In Pinellas For Next 2 Years
• 1st Beam Of New Howard Frankland Bridge In Place
• Gateway Project To Close Roads To St. Pete-Clearwater Airport

State Road 690, a new four-lane toll expressway connection from U.S. 19 to the west of I-275 is being built in the median of existing 118th Avenue North. SR 690 will be elevated over portions of 118th Avenue North, 49th Street North, 47th Street North, 43rd Street North, 34th Street North, the ramp at 31st Court North and 28th Street North.

State Road 686A, a new four-lane toll expressway from the Bayside Bridge to just west of I-275 is primarily being built in the median of Roosevelt Boulevard between the Bayside Bridge and Ulmerton Road. An interchange at Ulmerton Road will be built as part of this project. The new roadway will continue south through the old Sunshine Speedway property until it merges with SR 690.

In addition to the new toll roads, I-275 is being widened to create express tolled lanes (one lane in each direction) from south of Gandy Boulevard to 4th Street North. The express lanes will be in the median next to the existing I-275 general-purpose (non-tolled) lanes. Express lanes are a congestion management tool used in urban areas to ease congestion, improve traffic flow and give drivers travel options.

Other improvements include:

• Rebuilding existing Roosevelt Boulevard from the Bayside Bridge to Ulmerton Road as generally two one-way surface roads including a new access configuration and roads for the St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) Airport terminal.
• Repaving 118th Avenue North from U.S. 19 to 31st Court North.
• Repairing or rebuilding sections of existing U.S. 19 and 118th Avenue North including new ramps and bridges.
• Repaving the eastbound off-ramp from SR 690 to southbound I-275.

Work located in front of the St. Pete-Clearwater International (PIE) Airport includes:

• Building a new airport access road parallel to Roosevelt Blvd, new airport ponds, a new signalized intersection at Terminal Boulevard and a permanent connection at Fairchild Drive.

The project began Aug. 21, 2017, and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2024 at a cost of $595.3 million.