FPIDs: 447107-2, 447107-3, 447107-4
Tampa's Westshore Interchange
Project Status
FPIDs 447107-2, -3, -4
Construction Estimate (as of September 2021): ~$1 billion*
Funded for Construction: Fiscal Years 2024, 2026, 2028
* Present Day Cost
The reconstruction of Tampa’s Westshore Interchange has been a regional priority to improve reliability. The interchange is where economic, employment and entertainment activities converge, leading to traffic congestion that impedes local and regional mobility.
Located on the western edge of Tampa, the Westshore district is an approximate 10 square mile business district that provides access to Bay Area residential neighborhoods, Tampa International Airport, three major interstates, and two HART transit centers.
To enable continued economic grow and stability, improvements to Tampa’s Westshore Interchange (I-275/ SR 60) are necessary to provide for the existing and projected traffic demand. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise opened thru lanes on the Veterans Expressway, which will tie into express lanes to be constructed as part of Tampa’s Westshore Interchange project.
Improvements
This project will fully reconstruct Tampa’s Westshore Interchange (I-275/SR 60) with a modern design and added capacity with general use and express lanes. The updated design includes flyover ramps providing better traffic operations ,including the replacement of the existing loop ramp from eastbound SR 60 to northbound I-275.
Additional improvements include:
- Widening I-275 to construct two new express lanes in each direction and reconstruct the general use lanes.
- Widening SR 60 to add additional capacity.
- Constructing a new flyover ramp from the Howard Frankland Bridge to westbound SR 60 towards the Tampa International Airport.
- Adding a new on-ramp from Reo Street to southbound I-275.
- Reconnecting three local roadways at Reo Street, Occident Street, and Trask Street to help improve local traffic circulation.
- Aesthetic treatments and shared use path connectivity to the existing trail network and to the new shared use path currently under construction as part of the Howard Frankland Bridge project.
Once complete, the express lanes will provide drivers with a new choice and reliable travel times. Additionally, the design will accommodate future transit along I-275.
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Tampa’s Westshore Interchange, the Westshore to Downtown Tampa Corridor, and the Downtown Tampa Interchange projects are all part of a long-standing plan to improve and modernize Tampa’s interstate system, originally called the Tampa Interstate Study (TIS). The TIS required the most rigorous evaluation process in transportation planning – an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). FDOT began the Tampa Interstate Study (TIS) Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) in 2017, working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
FDOT engaged the community to receive input on alternative design concepts for the SEIS and held public workshops in October 2017 and May 2019 to review the concepts and get community input. A public hearing was held in February 2020, and FHWA approved the SEIS in September 2020.