Northbound Lanes Of Howard Frankland Bridge Closing For 2 Nights Next Week

TAMPA, FL — The Florida Department of Transportation is planning two nights of road closures across the Howard Frankland Bridge next week.

FDOT is closing the northbound lanes from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 12, and Tuesday, Dec. 13, to erect overhead sign structures along northbound Interstate 275.

Northbound on-ramps from Pinellas County will be closed from Gandy Boulevard to West Kennedy Boulevard during the work.

Work is scheduled to be completed by 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

People driving from Pinellas County may take either the Courtney Campbell Causeway from Clearwater or the Gandy Bridge from St. Petersburg.

Drivers using the Gandy Bridge will be detoured to continue along Gandy Boulevard, then turn north onto Dale Mabry Highway before heading west on Kennedy Boulevard.

For those traveling to Tampa International Airport, follow the signs from Kennedy Boulevard for State Road 60 to Memorial Highway then turn off at the exit for the George J. Bean Parkway to the airport.

Airport officials are asking travelers to allow extra time to navigate this detour for a late evening arrival or early morning departure on these dates. Southbound I-275 lanes will not be affected by this construction.

The construction dates are dependent on weather conditions. Backup dates would be Dec. 14 and 15.

Construction of the new 5.8-mile Gandy Bridge from State Road 60 in Tampa to 4th Street in St. Petersburg over Old Tampa Bay began in the spring of 2020 and is expected to be completed in late 2025.

The new $865.3 million bridge is being built north of the current southbound/westbound interstate bridge and will consist of eight lanes — four general-use lanes and four express lanes with two lanes from the St. Petersburg side to Tampa and two lanes from the Tampa side to St. Petersburg.

A bicycle and pedestrian pathway separated from the roadway is also included.

The existing southbound/westbound (Tampa to St. Petersburg) bridge will be converted to the new northbound/eastbound I-275.

Once the new bridge is built and all traffic is moved to the final alignment, the existing northbound/eastbound bridge will be removed.

Electronic message boards and temporary signage will assist I-275 northbound drivers traveling around this closure via the posted detour route using Roosevelt Boulevard, Gandy Boulevard,and Dale Mabry Highway.

Other roadways (Roosevelt Boulevard, Bayside Bridge, Courtney Campbell Causeway and Memorial Highway) will remain accessible and may provide an alternate route if needed.

The FDOT said drivers should add approximately 30 minutes of travel time to account for traffic congestion and delays.