- December 13, 2025
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From the Howard Frankland Bridge to Interstate 275, the Florida Department of Transportation is making “major progress” on transportation initiatives throughout the Tampa Bay region, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
DeSantis and FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue held a press conference at Tampa International Airport on Tuesday to applaud the latest transportation improvements made under the state’s Moving Florida Forward program.
The pair announced a nearly $1 billion investment in transportation infrastructure projects in the Tampa Bay region, funding the Howard Frankland Bridge and a major Pinellas County expansion of Interstate 275.
Demolition has begun on the oldest span of the bridge, which carries more than 200,000 drivers from Pinellas to Hillsborough counties each day, according to FDOT estimates.
Efforts to fully replace the Howard Frankland Bridge, which DeSantis called the “largest infrastructure project ever delivered in the Tampa Bay area,” began in 2020 and cost roughly $865 million.
Last month, northbound traffic on I-275 shifted from the old bridge, which was built in 1960, to the 1990s span of the Howard Frankland. And southbound traffic is already using the newly rebuilt bridge, which opened earlier this year.
FDOT officials anticipate the new Howard Frankland Bridge, which will include a shared-use path and express lanes, to be ready for motorists by spring 2026.
“It’s been one of the most vital links that we have and the work that we’ve done over the past several years has been significant,” DeSantis said. “We will end up delivering a modern bridge that will increase capacity by 50%, that will strengthen hurricane routes and will improve the safe and efficient movement of people and goods across Tampa Bay.”
DeSantis also announced construction is now underway on a major effort to widen I-275 from 38th Avenue North to Fourth Street North in Pinellas County.
That project will cost an estimated $354 million and includes a new express lane in each direction connecting to the Howard Frankland Bridge, as well as an additional express lane from Gandy Boulevard to Fourth Street North.
At the press conference, DeSantis said the expanded interstate is expected to reduce travel delays in the area by up to 85% and bring a regional economic impact of $1.42 billion.
“We’re building a continuous corridor of improved mobility by preserving I-275 as a major hurricane evacuation route,” DeSantis said.
And thanks to the investments included in Moving Florida Forward, the governor said, the project will be delivered 15 years ahead of schedule.
Florida’s rapid growth in recent years made transportation a top priority for the state, DeSantis said Tuesday. Since the Moving Florida Forward program launched in 2023, the Florida Legislature has contributed about $7 billion from state reserves to accelerate 20 major interstate and roadway projects across the state.
The state also plans to invest a total of $68 billion in infrastructure over the next five years for projects that address congestion, improve safety and address future needs of Florida as it continues to grow, DeSantis said.
“I don’t go out and beg people to move to Florida, … but people vote with their feet,” DeSantis said. “We had 21 million people when I became governor and we’ve got 23 and a half million people now. That means more people are going to be on the roadways. That means we’re going to have to do things to accommodate that.”
DeSantis also touted Florida’s strengthening economy. The state has been ranked the “number one economy in the country” by both the US News and World Report and, for three years in a row, by CNBC, the governor said. And by the end of this fiscal year, he said, the state will have paid off about 50% of its total debt, making Florida one of lowest debt per capita of any state in the country.
