The Gateway Expressway is a

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road (almost always a controlled-access highway in the present day) for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically ...

under construction in

Pinellas County, Florida Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa– St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistic ...

that is expected to be completed in late 2022 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 and began in November 2017.

Route description

The Gateway Expressway consists of two connected segments: * A four-lane, elevated segment will run above 118th Avenue from US 19 to I-275. This section will be designated SR 690. * A raised, four lane expressway will be built in the median of SR 686 and carry the designation SR 686A. 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 will be tolled using electronic toll gantries for SunPass transponders or pay-by-plate billing. 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.

History

The intention of the Gateway Expressway project is to solve transportation problems in Pinellas County, where several expressway projects were cancelled in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the county without any major

limited-access A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, dual-carriageway, expressway, limited access freeway, and partial controlled access highway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which ...

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highwa ...

s 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. 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 and is expected to be complete in late 2023 at a cost of $598 million. The project was not expected to be funded for another 15–20 years. Funding will be provided by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...

($153 million), Penny for Pinellas funds ($53 million), and the State of Florida (remainder of project costs).

Major intersections

State Road 690

State Road 686A express lanes

References