Gateway Expressway

Gateway Expressway
Gateway Expressway
State Road 686A, State Road 690
	Aerial map of Gateway Expressway
Route information
	Maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
Status	Under construction
History	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
Country	United States
State	Florida
Counties	Pinellas
Highway system
	Florida State Highway System; Interstate; US; State Former; Pre‑1945; ; Toll; Scenic;

The Gateway Expressway is a toll road under construction in Pinellas County, Florida that is expected to be completed in late 2023 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

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 late 2023 at a cost of $598 million. The project was not expected to be funded for another 15–20 years.[5] 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	Western terminus of SR 690; entrance from US 19 south
			118th Avenue North	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; to US 19 south
			SR 686	Express Lane interchange only; westbound exit and eastbound entrance
St. Petersburg			Gateway Toll Gantry
			118th Avenue North	Westbound exit only; no toll from I-275
			28th Street North	Eastbound entrance only; no toll to I-275
	0.00	0.00	I-275
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Tolled Unopened

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	Entrance from SR 690 west only
Pinellas Park			SR 688 (Ulmerton Road)	No southbound exit; tolled northbound entrance
			St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport	No northbound entrance
Largo			SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard)	Northern terminus for northbound lanes
Largo			CR 611 / Bayside Bridge	Northern terminus for southbound lanes
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Incomplete access Tolled Unopened

References

Florida Department of Transportation (June 2019). "Gateway Expressway". FDOT Current Projects. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
Schorsch, Peter (February 17, 2014). "Game-Changer: FDOT Plans Elevated Toll Road to Connect I-275 and US 19". Saint Peters Blog. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
"I-275 (Howard Frankland Bridge) New southbound bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
O’Donnell, Christopher (February 17, 2014). "Accelerated Plan will link I-275, US 19 in Pinellas". Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
Staff (February 17, 2014). "Governor Scott Announces Advancement of Gateway Express Project in Pinellas County" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Florida. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

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[fdotge-1] Florida Department of Transportation (June 2019). "Gateway Expressway". FDOT Current Projects. Retrieved June 14, 2019.

[2] Schorsch, Peter (February 17, 2014). "Game-Changer: FDOT Plans Elevated Toll Road to Connect I-275 and US 19". Saint Peters Blog. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

[3] "I-275 (Howard Frankland Bridge) New southbound bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties". Florida Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 15, 2020.

[TBO-4] O’Donnell, Christopher (February 17, 2014). "Accelerated Plan will link I-275, US 19 in Pinellas". Tampa Tribune. Retrieved May 3, 2014.

[5] Staff (February 17, 2014). "Governor Scott Announces Advancement of Gateway Express Project in Pinellas County" (Press release). Office of the Governor of Florida. Retrieved May 3, 2014.