Drivers across the greater Tampa Bay region will soon have an easier time traveling between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.
The Selmon West Extension will open to the public on April 19, according to a Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority press release.
“This project has been 25 years in the making, and I am thrilled it’s finally ready to open,” Joe Waggoner, the authority's executive director, said in a news release.
Construction on the 1.9-mile toll lane began in late 2018 and cost $230 million.
The extension — located in the median of Gandy Boulevard — will link the east end of Gandy Bridge to the Selmon Expressway and will allow drivers to choose between the Gandy Express for local destinations or the extension for regional “pass-through” trips.
The extension will have three all-electric toll gantries that will cost $0.95 with a SunPass or $1.31 with Toll-By-Plate billing.
Drivers from Tampa heading west can access the toll extension from the Selmon or the Dale Mabry Highway ramps. From St. Petersburg, eastbound motorists can exit at the Dale Mabry interchange or continue northeast toward downtown Tampa.
The expressway authority has made an effort to protect business along Gandy Boulevard from the negative effects of the extension’s location in the median of the boulevard, according to the release.
To maintain Gandy businesses’ sight line, THEA built the extension 30 feet in the air instead of 15 feet, the release said.
