TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — The Selmon Expressway has multiple projects planned for the next six years.
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) Board of Directors unanimously approved its Fiscal Year 2026 - 2031 Work Plan. It includes $752 million gathered from toll revenue to be put back into in capital investments. $692 million of that money is dedicated to infrastructure construction.
Greg Slater, the Executive Director and CEO for THEA, says the Work Plan has been carefully crafted by his team.
WATCH: THEA approves $752 million improvement plan, includes adding two more lanes to section of Selmon Expressway
"This is three years in the making. And what it is is about trying to look at our infrastructure and say, 'We need to rebuild the Expressway. We want to do it for where Tampa is going, not where Tampa has been," he said.
Slater explains that the first project we'll likely see is the addition of a new lane in both directions on the Selmon from the intersection with US-92 to the entrance near the Downtown Convention Center.
He says this will address the traffic growth the area has seen.
"If you look at pure volume, you know, we're 20% over where we thought we were going to be," he said.
Slater says that's because of a shift in driving cycles.
"Almost all of that growth is happening in the middle of the day, and so what that's telling us is these people that are working from home, that can live anywhere, are coming to Tampa to live. So it creates different challenges and new challenges for us," he explained.
He says they have also seen more backups in downtown Tampa happening later in the day.
"So more and more to do downtown restaurants. You're going to the hockey game. And so what happens is, is we need to change what that profile looks like, downtown," he said.
Wes Burns can attest to the traffic boom. He has relied on the Selmon Expressway for 35 years. Lately, it's started to become too much.
"At three o'clock in the afternoon, the traffic's backed up for miles. It usually takes me about an extra 30 to 40 minutes just to get home."
Burns is among many who see the expansion as a long-overdue solution to a significant problem. He says he's changed his driving habits just to avoid the traffic.
"Thank god they’re adding some lanes. It’s been a nightmare for years," he added.
This construction is expected to begin within the next eight to ten months, starting with the southern portion of the expressway around the Hillsborough River Bridge.
The project in its entirety is anticipated to unfold over six years.
Other enhancements include a shift in the on and off ramps downtown.
"That ramp over by Amalie Arena. We're going to take it out and we're going to put a new ramp over by the end of Whiting St., almost where the Amalie Arena parking garage is," he explained. "We're going to take that roadway, that kind of dead ends there, and we're going to reconnect that grid over to Meridian Avenue and create another east-west connection at the ramp."
Slater also wants to redo the bridge over the Hillsborough.
"I told our team. I said, 'When Monday Night Football comes, I don't want to see the Skyway Bridge anymore. I want to see Downtown Tampa'."
They plan to add noise walls, redevelop underpasses to create safer transitions into the neighborhoods along the Expressway, and include community space, utilizing the areas beneath the Selmon.
"We're working, we call it the Meridian Health Trail. So you know, outdoor exercise equipment, recreational areas where the old railroad tracks used to be, activating that space to create community features where people can kind of live, work and play. Same thing on the on in channel side back. But you've got gas works development," he added.
Slater says a part of their mission is getting more people to park their cars and explore the area.
"The thought process is really, how do we use the space under the expressway? It's a commodity in Florida to have shade, so we're in the shade of the Expressway. Create community space where we can really activate it, put it to work, but also give people things to do along that pedestrian infrastructure."
Safety is another aspect. There will eventually be a wrong-way driver detection device to keep drivers safe. There will also be new technology to alert drivers to pedestrians in the crosswalk well ahead of time.
They're installing cameras right now in crosswalks. The first will be the crosswalk on Morgan Street directly in front of the off-ramp.
"That camera technology is going to sense pedestrians in that crosswalk, and it's going to communicate with a sign at the top of the Expressway while you're getting on the ramp, with a lighting feature that flashes to tell people 'You're getting off on this ramp. You can't see the end of this ramp right now, but there are pedestrians there'. So the idea is to slow them down before they turn that corner where all that pedestrian activity is," he explained.
Burns expressed hope for relief from the congested traffic, reflective of the community's long-standing struggles with expressway access. "Fingers crossed it helps out a little bit. It definitely needs some improvement," he said.
Here are more details we received from THEA on how the money will be spent.
Key Areas of Investment:
1. Infrastructure Improvements
THEA will invest $692 million in infrastructure improvements over the next six years, prioritizing high-capacity projects that ensure long-term system reliability, congestion relief, and regional mobility. Projects include:
- South Selmon Capacity Project
- Whiting Street Extension and Ramp improvements
- Selmon Expressway/US 301 Ramp capacity and safety improvements
- Start of East Selmon improvements
- Resurfacing of Meridian Avenue and Brandon Parkway
- Drainage work and structural preservation upgrades
2. Community Enhancements
- 12th Street Park development
- Meridian Health Trail and Meridian Avenue refresh
- Brorein Street pedestrian safety improvements
- Bay to Bay Boulevard Community Park
3. Project Development & Environment Studies
- US 301 PD&E to support growth in South Hillsborough
4. Technology & Innovation Enhancements
- Roadside Toll Collection System (RTCS) Replacement
- Operational Back Office System (OBOS) Replacement
- Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Expansion
- Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS) Deployment
- Wrong-Way Driving Detection Expansion
- Secure V2X connected vehicle integration (DOE Grant)
- Traffic Management Center build-out
5. Programmatic and Asset Management
- Asset Management Technology Expansion
- Cybersecurity and risk management initiatives
- Facility and system-wide asset performance upgrades
- Transportation safety innovations
More information about these projects can be found on THEA's website.
Hillsborough County crews work six days a week to improve stormwater drainage
The ongoing restoration work is part of a larger effort by Hillsborough County Public Works aimed at mitigating flooding risks throughout the area. Officials are hopeful that these improvements will provide a sense of safety during this hurricane season.
