Gateway Expressway
The Gateway Expressway is a planned toll road in Pinellas County, Florida. 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. The expressway is expected to be completed by late 2022.[1]
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| State Road 686A, State Road 690 | ||||
 Aerial map of Gateway Expressway | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise | ||||
| Status | Under construction | |||
| History |
| |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| East end |  | |||
| West end |   | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties | Pinellas | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
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]
History
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.[3]
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 2022 at a cost of $545 million. The project was not expected to be funded for another 15–20 years.[4] 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).[3]
Major intersections
State Road 690
The entire route is in Pinellas County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas Park | | Western terminus of SR 690; entrance from US 19 south | |||
| 118th Avenue North | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; to US 19 south | ||||
| Express Lane interchange only; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
| St. Petersburg | 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 | | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
State Road 686A express lanes
The entire route is in Pinellas County.
| Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinellas Park | 0.00 | 0.00 |  | Entrance from SR 690 west only | |
 | No southbound exit; tolled northbound entrance | ||||
| |  | No northbound entrance | |||
| Largo | | Northern terminus for northbound lanes | |||
 | Northern terminus for southbound lanes | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also
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.
- 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.