Westshore Interchange Construction Timeline

While we watch the new Howard Frankland Bridge get closer to completion, residents still only seem to care about what will happen to the dreaded Westshore/Veterans interchange. The interchange connects to many businesses, residents, malls, and the airport, so it often leads to traffic congestion at almost any time of day. We'll keep this post updated on the construction progress and timeline. But it will be years before the project is fully complete.

The new interchange project will add more general use and express lanes. The updated design also includes flyover ramps including the replacement of the existing loop ramp from eastbound SR 60 to northbound I-275. Other improvements for the interchange include:

Many pointed out one other thing to consider is how the Westshore Plaza demolition could impact this project. The timeline for the project has not been shared yet but we do know they plan to add new lanes on Kennedy Blvd to help traffic.

The FDOT will conduct this reconstruction in phases. We are still currently in the first "planning" phase. The Tampa Bay Business Journal was told by a FDOT spokesperson that the planning of the $1+ billion reconstruction "should end around this summer." Originally, construction was supposed to start in late 2024, but has been pushed back to 2025.

Below is the overall phasing plan for the Westshore Interchange construction. Again, keep in mind that projects like this take years to complete and are often halted by things like hurricane season, labor costs, and inflation challenges.

Updated May 2024

If you've made the trip from Tampa to St. Pete or vice versa, I'm sure you've wondered what the heck is happening with the Howard Frankland. The Florida Department of Transportation has been working hard to bring 4 new southbound lanes of I-275 into Pinellas. They expect to finish construction by the end of 2025.

Not only will the bridge have 4 new southbound lanes, but it will also have a few other new features. The new bridge will also have 2 express lanes to help with traffic flow and a multi-use pedestrian path. The current southbound bridge will be switched to northbound. The FDOT is even thinking ahead and is including plans for any future trains that might be built. Many people are skeptical that this will help with traffic, especially because of all the Northern transplants. We think the express lanes will make a huge difference!

The Howard Frankland Bridge is expected to have 153 panels built before the road path is added. Barring any major storms this year, the FDOT is on schedule.

As of May 2024:
-  100% of pilings have been driven.
- 99% of bridge footings have been completed.
- 98% of bridge columns have been completed.
- 92% of bridge caps have been completed.
- 77% of the bridge superstructure beams have been placed.
- 71% of bridge decks placed.

As long as we have a calm hurricane season, project managers say we could be driving on the new Howard Frankland bridge by the end of this year. But the official FDOT page says construction is expected to finish in 2025.

[Source: Bay News 9/Florida Department of Transportation]