Exit 20, 31st Street South and
Exit 21, 28th Street South
Exit 21, 28th Street South
The seventh segment of Interstate 275 has the highway turning in a southwesterly direction in order to eventually link up with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and US 19. Constructed in 1980 from just east of 28 St S to Queensboro Av S, 28 St S and 31 St S feature partial interchanges. 28 St S features a northbound entrance and a southbound exit, while 31 St S features a southbound exit and a northbound entrance.
The 31 St S exit is constructed almost like if you were exiting onto another expressway, but in reality it isn’t. There were plans for a Pinellas Expressway that would have begun at this location and would have run using what is now the Pinellas Trail (a walking and bicycle trail on the site of a former railroad right of way), but those plans were nixed due to local opposition. Gibbs High School as well as Treasure Island (via Central Avenue) is reached at the 31 St S exit.
28 St S is a north-south street from 62 Av N in the Lealman area to 18 Av S. It is mainly two lanes with a continuous four lane section from 9 Av N to just south of Interstate 275 at 11 Av S. Improvements were not made until well after Interstate 275 was built; 28 St S was converted from a two-lane to a four-lane street in the immediate vicinity of Interstate 275 in the late 1980's. To have traffic avoid this substandard street at the time Interstate 275 was built, signage was erected on Interstate 275 having southbound traffic exit at 5 Av N (Exit 23B) in order to reach US 19 as well as the Sunshine Skyway Bridge.
The highway was constructed south to Queensboro Av S, but no construction was without controversy. For a while there was concern with the south St. Petersburg community over access to the gulf beaches from south St. Petersburg using either 15 Av S or 18 Av S. It was eventually decided that 18 Av S would be the through street for access. When the next segment of Interstate 275 was built it included an overpass at 18 Av S which pleased everyone in the immediate area.
