BUCS 24 @ 
CHI 27 
BOLTS 3 @ 
WPG 4 
USF 63, 
URI 82 
ECU 20 
DEP 82 
JOES 
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FLA 
MEM 
Howard Frankland Bridge
FDOT rebuilt the Howard Frankland Bridge on I-275 between Pinellas and Hillsborough: a new eight-lane span with four general lanes, four express lanes and a 12-foot shared-use path, and the 1990 span renewed as the northbound bridge. The 1959 bridge is gone.
Where it stands
- Construction began2020
- New southbound span openedMarch 2025
- 1990 span became northboundJuly 2025
- Express lanes and trail openedMay 27, 2026
- Express lane tolling startsAfter testing ends
The northbound express lanes and the shared-use path opened May 27, 2026, with the southbound express lanes following days later. The path runs nearly seven miles on the north side of the bridge, 12 feet wide with four shaded overlooks, open sunrise to sunset from 4th Street in St. Pete and Reo Street in Tampa. The express lanes are free while FDOT tests them, then 50 cents with a transponder.
Source: WUSF, May 27, 2026 →What it means for you
Feather Sound A 50-cent express option across the bay once tolling starts, and a bike and walking path onto the bridge from 4th Street.
Background
Howard Frankland Bridge Rebuild
I-275 (Howard Frankland Bridge) New southbound bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties
The new Howard Frankland Bridge. This design-build project is building a new southbound/westbound (from Tampa to St. Petersburg) interstate bridge over Old Tampa Bay between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties in West Central Florida.
The new bridge is being built north of the current southbound/westbound (St. Petersburg to Tampa) interstate bridge.
The new bridge will consist of eight lanes; four general use lanes, (Tampa to St. Petersburg) and four Express lanes; two lanes from the St. Petersburg side toward Tampa, two lanes from the Tampa side toward St. Petersburg. A bicycle/pedestrian pathway separated from the roadway will is also included.
The existing southbound/westbound (Tampa to St. Petersburg) bridge will be converted to the new northbound/eastbound I-275 (St. Petersburg to Tampa) .
Once the new bridge is built and all traffic is moved to the final alignment, the existing northbound/eastbound (St. Petersburg to Tampa) bridge will be removed.
Construction activities began in the fall of 2020.
| Work Type | New Bridge |
|---|---|
| Phase | Construction |
| Limits | from 4th St. in Pinellas Co. to south of SR 60 in Hillsborough Co. |
| Project Start | Spring 2020 |
| Length | 5.8 miles |
| City | |
| County | |
| Road | |
| Construction Cost | $865.3 million |
| Estimated Completion | Late 2025 |
| Contractor | Archer Western/Traylor Bros. Joint Venture |
On May 4, 2018, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), pursuant to 23 U.S. C. §327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT, granted Location and Design Concept Acceptance for: WPI Segment Number: 422799-1, Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study for the Replacement of the Northbound Howard Frankland Bridge (I-275/SR 93) in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has plans in motion to replace the aging northbound/eastbound portion of the Howard Frankland Bridge, which is approaching the end of its’ serviceable life. A Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study is currently underway to identify the best replacement options and document how the replacement will affect the surrounding environment. In addition to the bridge replacement study, a key element of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) Master Plan is to develop a transit connection across the Howard Frankland Bridge that will link Pinellas and Hillsborough counties via transit stations. The linkage provided between Pinellas County’s proposed Gateway Station and Hillsborough County’s Westshore Regional Multimodal Center will allow uninterrupted transit movements along the bridge. For this to be possible, however, the corridor must be capable of accommodating the appropriate transit provisions. Therefore, we will also conduct a Transit Corridor Evaluation Study to determine opportunities and constraints of providing a potential transit envelope in conjunction with bridge replacement.
Contact Information
| Construction Manager |
|---|
Tom Lay 813-975-3554 |
| Media Contact |
Kris Carson 813-975-6060 |
While the primary purpose of the PD&E study is to examine replacement of the bridge without increasing capacity, the transit study will examine how transit could be included in the bridge replacement construction. The transit study will examine engineering constraints and develop feasible alternatives to accommodate transit in the design of the replacement bridge, or determine if a new structure would be required. The study will review data gathered during the Pinellas County Alternatives Analysis (AA), which looked at providing premium transit service from Pinellas County to Hillsborough County. The study will also analyze data from the Westshore Multimodal Center Study. The Howard Frankland Bridge corridor must accommodate the appropriate transit provisions to connect all transit systems regionally.
A Regional Approach to Transportation
The Howard Frankland Bridge is the central bridge spanning Old Tampa Bay from Clearwater/St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Pinellas County and Hillsborough County; the others being the Gandy Bridge and the Courtney Campbell Causeway. The Howard Frankland carries I-275 and is by far the most traveled of the bay area bridges; carrying an average of 139,000 vehicles per day across Tampa Bay. Given the importance of this connection, regional planning agencies such as the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA) have developed multi-county transportation plans.
Agencies like TBARTA and FDOT have been tasked with looking beyond county-specific congestion issues. State leaders are recognizing that traffic congestion does not start or stop at county lines nor do the solutions. That is why TBARTA’s Transportation Master Plan – which encompasses Citrus, Hernando, Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties – has placed the Howard Frankland Bridge on its list of priority projects.
As a first step in moving toward implementation of the TBARTA Master Plan two transit studies were conducted. The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) conducted an alternative analysis (AA) for a light rail transit corridor running from the University of South Florida, through downtown Tampa, to the Westshore area. The second AA was conducted by TBARTA, FDOT, the Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) to evaluate the type and location of a premium transit corridor connecting downtown St. Petersburg, through the Pinellas Gateway area, and Clearwater. The Howard Frankland Bridge Transit Corridor Evaluation is vitally important as it will link these two transportation efforts as it connects Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties.