RIVERVIEW, Fla. — As children return back to school and people continue to drive to their jobs, Florida Department of Transportation Tampa Bay wants to remind you of new traffic patterns on Big Bend Road in Riverview and Apollo Beach.
As part of the I-75 interchange improvement project, FDOT said in a news release that its contractor has shifted traffic on Big Bend Road between Covington Garden Drive and Simmons Loop Road.
Traffic will also be shifted on Old Big Bend Road between Franklin Cast Bay and Simmons Road to make room for new construction of roadways and bridges, FDOT says.
The new traffic patterns will remain in place until summer 2023.
A new temporary traffic signal will be installed in the coming weeks at Old Big Bend Road and Covington Garden Drive to ease traffic flow in that intersection.
Drivers who need to access schools, businesses and residences on Old Big Bend must enter and exit using Kings Lake Drive or Lincoln Road, the news release mentioned.
FDOT recommends drivers to add extra travel time in their commutes to help avoid traffic delays and congestion while heading towards the Gibsonton area taking Big Bend Road.
"The $81.7 million project is reconstructing the I-75 interchange at Big Bend Road, widening Big Bend Road between Covington Garden Drive and Simmons Loop from a four-lane divided road to six lanes, and rebuilding the bridges over Old Big Bend Road and Big Bend Road," FDOT said in a statement. "This project is expected to finish summer of 2025."
To learn more about the I-75 interchange improvement project on Big Bend Road, click here.
