Howard Frankland Bridge
The W. Howard Frankland Bridge is the central fixed-link bridge spanning Old Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg, Florida to Tampa, Florida. It is one of three bridges connecting Hillsborough County and Pinellas County; the others being Gandy Bridge and Courtney Campbell Causeway. The bridge carries Interstate 275 and is by far the most traveled of the bay's bridges.
W. Howard Frankland Bridge | |
|---|---|
Aerial view of the bridge in 2018 | |
| Coordinates | 27.92793°N 82.58755°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of I-275 |
| Crosses | Old Tampa Bay |
| Locale | St. Petersburg to Tampa, Florida |
| Other name(s) | Howard Franklin, Frankland Bridge |
| Named for | William Howard Frankland |
| Maintained by | Florida Department of Transportation |
| ID number | 150107 (northbound) 150210 (southbound) |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 15,872 ft (4,838 m) (northbound) 15,900 ft (4,846 m) (southbound) |
| Width | 58.4 ft (17.8 m) (northbound) 68.9 ft (21.0 m) (southbound) |
| Clearance below | 43 ft (13 m) (northbound) 48.9 ft (14.9 m) (southbound) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1960 (northbound) 1990 (southbound) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 135,000 (2006) |
| Location | |
Work began in fall 2020 to rebuild this bridge with separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes, with completion expected in late 2025. The new bridge will be north of the existing bridge. As a result, traffic is able to use the existing bridge while the new, bigger bridge is being built. The existing southbound bridge will be converted to northbound lanes, once the new bridge is completed.
The bridge is often incorrectly referred to as the Howard Franklin Bridge.