Road construction is underway on a $340 million project to expand Interstate 275 through St. Petersburg and Pinellas Park. The work will add three tolled express lanes designed to ease congestion, improve hurricane evacuation routes, and reduce noise with new barriers, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The new lanes will eventually link downtown St. Petersburg with Tampa via the Howard Frankland Bridge, where express lanes are still under construction. That connection will add about 50% more capacity when the bridge lanes open in 2026.

“This area is growing exponentially,” said Chelsea Favero, Metropolitan Planning Organization Division Manager with Forward Pinellas. “We have new jobs coming in, and these express lanes provide the added capacity for those commuting in the corridor.”

While there is no set timeline yet for the downtown connection, officials expect the project to deliver faster and more predictable travel across the Bay and throughout Pinellas County.

The expansion also includes a new pedestrian path along Ulmerton Road. Tampa-based Prince Contracting was awarded the construction contract last month.

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(Image credit: FDOT)

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