TAMPA, Fla — More than 130,000 people drive over the Howard Frankland Bridge each day. If you’re one of them, you’ve likely seen the construction happening on the water.
It’s part of an ongoing project, to revamp the Tampa Bay area’s most traveled bridge.
The $864 million endeavor is the biggest taken on by the Tampa Bay office of the Florida Department of Transportation. Crews are replacing the current northbound side of the bridge with a new eight-lane masterpiece.
We checked with the FDOT, and they say not only is everything running on time, but it’s also on budget.
Work began more than a year ago. Since then, FDOT says 40 percent of all pilings for the bridge foundations have been driven.
Eighty-five of the 549 bridge footings, 55 of the 549 bridge columns and 18 of the 226 bridge pier caps have all been completed.
So what’s next on the to-do list? Beam placement. It’s set to start in late spring of this year.
FDOT says the new section of the bridge will have four general-purpose lanes, two tolled expressed lanes in each direction and a bike/walking path.
The expansion is needed with an estimated 100,000 people expected to move to the Tampa Bay area within the next 25 years, FDOT explains.
It’s expected to be complete by the end of 2025.