Gateway Expressway

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Gateway Expressway
State Road 686A, State Road 690
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Aerial map of Gateway Expressway
Route information
Maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
Existed: 2024 – present
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  • Approved February 2014
  • Construction started August 21, 2017[1]
Major junctions
East end: I-275 in St. Petersburg
West end: US 19 in Pinellas Park
SR 686 at Bayside Bridge
Location
Counties: Pinellas
Highway system
← SR 688 SR 690 SR 692 x20px →

The Gateway Expressway is a controlled-access toll road under construction in Pinellas County, Florida that is expected to be completed in early-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 and began in November 2017.[1]

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.[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 will be 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

File:Gateway construction at I-275.jpg
I-275 Southbound approaching Exit 30 at the construction site

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 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 and is expected to be complete in Spring 2024 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]

Major intersections

State Road 690

The 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

The 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 / Invalid type: road – Clearwater Northern terminus for southbound lanes
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

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