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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Bay Area drivers now have a new way to get around Pinellas County.
The Gateway Expressway and I-275 Express Lanes opened around noon on Friday.
The roads are designed to help ease congestion and offer new travel routes to drivers.
The new toll roads, SR 686A and SR 690, provide direct connections between US 19 and I-275 and the Bayside Bridge and I-275.
The I-275 Express Lanes are in the median of I-275 between Gandy Boulevard and 4th Street North.
The $600 million project has been in the works for seven years. But FDOT said it will pay off for drivers who aren’t stuck at lights on 118th Avenue or Roosevelt Boulevard.
While all vehicles are allowed on the Gateway Expressway toll roads, only passenger vehicles, registered vanpools, and busses are allowed in the I-275 Express Lanes.
The toll roads are free until noon on Friday, May 3. That’s when all tolls on SR 686A and SR 690 will be collected electronically using the SunPass prepaid toll program or through TOLL-BY-PLATE. I-275 Express Lanes tolls will only be collected through the SunPass Prepaid Toll Program.
Tolls will range from 28 cents to 86 cents collected by SunPass or by license plate.
Drivers are asked to be vigilant on the roadways as some construction is still being done.
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