$20M project to add extra lanes on I-275 in Tampa is wrapping up

TAMPA - Good news for commuters who travel I-275 south of the I-75 Apex near the Hillsborough/Pasco county line. A new third lane of traffic has opened in each direction in the construction zone between US-41 (Bearss Ave. area) and I-75. For southbound I-275, motorists now have three lanes from the I-75 split to into downtown Tampa. For northbound I-275, this means three through-lanes all the way to just west of the I-75/SR 56 interchange. While the lanes are all open, there still will be periodic night lane closures as the project continues towards completion.

The $20.6 million project spans 5.7 miles and began in January, 2011.  A separate project is scheduled for the second half of 2013 that will further widen northbound I-275 from just before the exit ramp to SR-56 in Pasco County to just southwest of where the ramp to northbound I-75 crosses over I-75. This will allow for an improved separation of traffic exiting to SR-56 or northbound I-75, as well as additional merging space for traffic headed to northbound I-75 to be reduced to two lanes before crossing over I-75.