Here’s How FDOT Will Expedite the Howard Frankland Bridge Project

The long-awaited replacement of the Howard Frankland Bridge has been put on the fast track after Gov. Ron DeSantis expedited the project.

The Howard Frankland Bridge, spanning Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, was one of several road projects that will have accelerated timelines to take advantage of less dense roads.The bridge is a design-build project, so it will not see significant construction until later this year as it is still in the design phase, a Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

“However, by advancing the project notice to proceed by a month, we will get to full construction at least a month earlier.We also have worked with the contractor and they are putting more geotechnical rigs out to collect information for the design than was originally planned, and we have developed a plan with the designer to expedite reviews and approvals,” she said in an emailed statement. “Overall, this will hopefully advance the start of the heavy construction by several months.”