PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A major road project is now underway in Pinellas County, and it could significantly impact your daily commute. The Florida Department of Transportation started construction in August. It is a project aimed at improving traffic flow and connectivity along one of Tampa Bay's busiest corridors.
FDOT crews are working to widen I-275 by adding two express lanes in each direction from North of 28th Avenue N to South of Gandy Boulevard. In addition, one toll express lane in each direction will be added between Gandy and North of 4th Street N.
The project also includes new noise barriers along parts of the corridor and modified interchanges at 28th Avenue, 54th Avenue, Gandy Boulevard, and Roosevelt Boulevard.
The changes are all part of a plan to ease congestion and improve connectivity across the Tampa Bay area.
Many residents who travel I-275 daily say traffic is a growing problem.
Dan Pavia lives in St. Pete, but commutes on I-275 every day to get to work in Tampa.
He said, “Well, it’s always heavy traffic between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and it’s going to be heavy again 4:30 p.m. to 6 o’clock.”
Mikayla School lives off 38th Avenue in St. Pete. She said, “I work in Clearwater, and it takes me over an hour to get home because of how bad the traffic is.”
Susan Strahsmeier has lived in the area her whole life. She said she’s watched the traffic get worse over the last few years.
“I was born and raised here, and what takes 10 minutes can now take 30 minutes,” Strahsmeier said.
Everyone we spoke to was hopeful that this project would make a difference.
Pavia said, “It will be a good thing. It’s just part of life, part of the city growing. City gets bigger, you got to increase the lanes.”
Construction on the I-275 extension began in August and is expected to take several years to complete. It may cause short-term inconvenience, but FDOT said the goal is to improve long-term traffic flow and safety for all drivers in the region.
FDOT is inviting the public to learn more and share feedback during a virtual open house on Tuesday, September 30th. Click here to register for the meeting.
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