Selmon Extension remains closed three days after loose steel discovery

TAMPA, Fla. - The closure of Tampa's Selmon Expressway Extension entered its third day Wednesday, impacting tens of thousands of drivers, especially during the busy morning commute. 

A spokesperson with the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority told FOX 13 they are "hoping to hear soon" from officials assessing the concern.

Engineers on Monday said it would take a couple of days to pinpoint the nature of the needed repair and how quickly can they get the materials for the job. 

The closure dates back to late Sunday when inspectors found two strands of steel that were loose from their anchor during a routine inspection, leading officials to shut down the extension immediately.

The Expressway Authority cited an abundance of caution, telling FOX 13 that the issue could simply be that the steel popped out from the coating that usually holds it in. 

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"It's two wires that are in a strand, that are in a tendon, that are in a segment," explained Expressway Authority spokeswoman Sue Chrzan, adding that a similar incident occurred when the extension was under construction. Chrzan said the earlier incident was remedied by removing the tendon and replacing it.

"It’s basically like making sure all of the lug nuts are tight on your car," Chrzan said on Monday. "We just want to make sure everything is in those anchors correctly, and hopefully we’ll figure that out by looking at this one to see what the issue was, but then we’ll be checking everything else to make sure."

A birds-eye view from SkyFOX of the Selmon Extension

On Monday, following the discovery, four different types of engineers were inside the Selmon Extension, walking the entire length and inspecting every tendon.

The addition to the Expressway opened to great fanfare just last year, considered a 'missing link' connecting Tampa's downtown to St. Petersburg. The Extension typically carries nearly 20,000 drivers above a crowded Gandy Boulevard every day.

The affected portion is only the elevated Extension at the far western end of the Selmon Expressway that connects to the Gandy Bridge. The older portion of the Expressway and Gandy Boulevard underneath remain open.