CLEARWATER -- The Gateway Expressway linking Interstate 275 and U.S. 19 through mid-Pinellas County is expected to open Friday morning (26th).
The toll road is part of an almost $600 million project that includes the first express lanes in Pinellas. Those lanes would run between Gandy Boulevard and 4th Street North. They'll begin to extend into Hillsborough County once the new Howard Frankland Bridge project is completed. It's been in the planning stages for more than a decade.
FDOT spokesperson Greg Deese says the Gateway ties together 19, 275 and the Bayside Bridge. In addition to eliminating traffic lights for toll drivers, the project will alleviate traffic on surface streets such as 118th Avenue North, as well as the area around St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
The expressway has an east-west component connected 275 to 19 and a north-south component connecting 275 to the Bayside. Deese says supply chain issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down the timetable.
Listen to Read Shepherd's interview with Greg Deese below. Also get a look at the toll map for the Gateway project.
Photos: TTWN/Phil Azoon and FDOT