Howard Frankland Bridge to close Saturday into Sunday

Buckle up, Tampa Bay commuters: the Howard Frankland Bridge will be closed for use from 8 p.m. Saturday until noon Sunday. 

The closure is occurring so crews can remove the Fourth Street North (SR 687) bridge over Interstate 275 as part of the Gateway Expressway project.

The Gateway Expressway project will create two new two-lane elevated tolled roadways that will provide direct connections between US 19 and I-275 and between the Bayside Bridge (north of 49th Street N) and I-275. The project is expected to be finished by 2023, and cost $594.7 million, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

The posted detour route will direct drivers around the closure to Roosevelt Boulevard, Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway.

Other roadways will remain open during the bridge closure, including Roosevelt Boulevard, the Bayside Bridge, the Courtney Campbell Causeway and Memorial Highway.

Transit officials recommend drivers add about 30 minutes to their expected travel time because of traffic congestion related to the closure.

Traffic between Hillsborough County and Pinellas County can be diverted to the Gandy Bridge or the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Tampa Road, which turns into Hillsborough Blvd. can also be used for access between the two counties.

The closure is not related to ongoing construction on a new span of the Howard Frankland Bridge. The closure is weather permitting.