Several road projects in the Tampa Bay area and across the state have been accelerated as traffic continues to be light due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The projects include a diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 in Pasco County.
Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation estimate the acceleration of 40 transportation projects will provide jobs and save at least 650 total contract days.
“FDOT is proud to continue implementing Governor (Ron) DeSantis’ forward-thinking directive to accelerate crucial transportation projects and more swiftly enhance the state’s overall transportation system,” Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin J. Thibault said in a statement.
“The transportation industry is vital to our economy and is essential as we move forward to re-open Florida. We will continue to accelerate projects as much as possible, while also incorporating the CDC’s safety and sanitation guidelines.”
Many of the projects involve repaving and improved intersection lightning, according to FDOT.
Here is a list of the projects across Tampa Bay:
Hillsborough County
- Operational improvements on I-275 from west of SR 60 (Exit 39) to Lois Ave. (Exit 40B) will be accelerated by 60 days.
- The I-75 repaving from the Manatee County Line to CR 672 will be accelerated by 1 month.
Pinellas County
- Intersection lighting improvements on SR 688, SR 586 and SR 580 at various locations will be accelerated by one week.
- Intersection lighting improvements on SR 688 between Hamlin Boulevard in Largo and Feather Sound Drive in St. Petersburg will be accelerated by one week.
- Intersection lighting improvements on SR 586 between Alt 19/Bayshore in Dunedin and Tampa Road in Oldsmar will be accelerated by one week.
Pasco County
- The diverging diamond interchange improvement project will be accelerated by two weeks.
Manatee County
- Signal pole foundations, signal poles and roadway work on US 301 at Rutland Road will be accelerated by three weeks.
- The resurfacing of SR 43 from 2nd Avenue to west of 51st Avenue will be accelerated by two weeks.
- The safety project on US 301 at Erie Road and Old Tampa Highway will be accelerated by two weeks.
Polk County
- Signal pole foundations, signal poles and roadway work on SR 37 at Edgewood Drive will be accelerated by one month.
Citrus County
- The widening and reconstruction of US 19 from Jump Court to Fort Island Trail will be accelerated by two weeks.
Last month, DeSantis announced work on the Howard Frankland Bridge expansion will be accelerated by four weeks. That $814 million project calls for a new eight-lane Howard Frankland Bridge that will be used as a partial expansion of the old one.
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