The Gateway Expressway is a controlled-access toll road in Pinellas County, Florida completed in April 2024 at a cost of $598 million. The project consists of two branches: an elevated highway to be designated State Road 690 (SR 690) above 118th Avenue North between Interstate 275 (I-275) and U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) and a raised highway in the median of SR 686 from 118th Avenue North to the Bayside Bridge. Construction was approved in February 2014, began in November 2017, and completed on April 26, 2024.[1]
  Gateway Expressway | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Road 686A, State Road 690 | ||||
 Aerial map of Gateway Expressway | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise | ||||
| Status | Open | |||
| Existed | 2024–present | |||
| History |
| |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| East end |  I-275 in St. Petersburg | |||
| West end |  US 19 in Pinellas Park SR 686 at Bayside Bridge | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | Florida | |||
| Counties | Pinellas | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
Route description
editThe Gateway Expressway consists of two connected segments:
- A four-lane, elevated segment runs above 118th Avenue from US 19 to I-275. It is designated as SR 690.
- A raised, four-lane expressway in the median of SR 686 and carries the designation SR 686A.[1] This segment will run from the planned SR 690 segment north to the Bayside Bridge and connect to St. Petersburg–Clearwater International Airport.
Both segments are tolled using electronic toll gantries for SunPass transponders or pay-by-plate billing.[2]
The project includes express lanes on I-275 from south of Gandy Boulevard to 4th Street North, where they will meet express lanes under construction as part of the new Howard Frankland bridge project.[1][3]
History
editThe intention of the Gateway Expressway project is to mitigate transportation problems in Pinellas County, where several expressway projects were cancelled in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the county without any major limited-access thoroughfares except for I-275. Significant upgrades to US 19 in the 2000s improved traffic flow north–south in the county. However, only local roads travel east–west. The Gateway Expressway project had been identified for a long time as a priority project to improve traffic flow in Pinellas County.[4]
The project was announced by Governor Rick Scott in a press conference with local officials on February 17, 2014. It had been in the works for 15 years. Construction began in November 2017 at a cost of $598 million.[5] The project was not expected to be funded for another 15–20 years.[6] Funding will be provided by the Federal Highway Administration ($153 million), Penny for Pinellas funds ($53 million), and the State of Florida (remainder of project costs).[4] The project was officially completed on April 26, 2024, and was open free of charge for 7 days.[7]
Major intersections
editState Road 690
editThe entire route is in Pinellas County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas Park |  US 19 north – Clearwater | Western terminus of SR 690 | |||
    CR 296 west (Bryan Dairy Road) to US 19 south | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
  SR 686A to SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard) St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
| St. Petersburg | Gateway Toll Gantry | ||||
| 118th Avenue North | Westbound exit and entrance; no toll | ||||
| I-275 – Tampa, St.Petersburg | |||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
State Road 686A express lanes
editThe entire route is in Pinellas County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas Park | 0.00 | 0.00 |   SR 690 east – Tampa, St.Petersburg | Entrance from SR 690 west only | |
 SR 688 (Ulmerton Road) – Indian Rocks Beach | No southbound exit; tolled northbound entrance | ||||
| | St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport | No northbound entrance | |||
| Largo | SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard) – Largo | Northern terminus for northbound lanes | |||
 CR 611 / Bayside Bridge – Clearwater | Northern terminus for southbound lanes | ||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d Florida Department of Transportation (June 2019). "Gateway Expressway". FDOT Current Projects. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
- ^ Schorsch, Peter (February 17, 2014). "Game-Changer: FDOT Plans Elevated Toll Road to Connect I-275 and US 19". Saint Peters Blog. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ^ "I-275 (Howard Frankland Bridge) New southbound bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ a b O’Donnell, Christopher (February 17, 2014). "Accelerated Plan will link I-275, US 19 in Pinellas". Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ^ Varn, Kathryn (June 13, 2023). "Gateway Expressway to connect Tampa Bay roads by early 2024". Axios Tampa Bay. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Staff (February 17, 2014). "Governor Scott Announces Advancement of Gateway Express Project in Pinellas County" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Florida. Archived from the original on January 10, 2015. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
- ^ "MAP: Where to enter and exit the new Gateway Expressway". WFLA-TV. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.