Construction continues on Gateway Expressway in hopes of reducing commuter traffic on biggest Pinellas roads

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. - Officials have been working on the Gateway Expressway in Pinellas County since September 2017. Now, overhead signs are up and parts of the road are nearing completion, but there’s more to do. 

"This is the largest project that DOT has done in Pinellas County," says Greg Deese, resident engineer with the Florida Department of Transportation. 

The Gateway/I-275 Express will connect U.S. 19 and the Bayside Bridge with I-275. An optional 80 cent toll lane that will allow commuters to drive from the Bayside Bridge to I-275 with no traffic lights.

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I-275 will be widened to add a toll lane in each direction along the median next to the existing lanes from south of Gandy Boulevard to 4th Street North.

The new expressway should reduce commuter traffic on other roads like Ulmerton Road and Roosevelt Boulevard. Engineers said the Gateway Expressway is unique because of all the roads it touches. 

"It touches Ulmerton, U.S. 19, 275, 118th avenue. It’s just a very, very, large roadway scope," said Deese.

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It’s a $600 million project aimed at shaving time off your commute and preventing traffic jams in the future. 

"It is an active construction project, and it's changing constantly," said Deese. 

More than 250 people are working day and night, six to seven days a week to build the expressway. The Gateway is scheduled to open in the summer of 2023.