FL 60/Kennedy Blvd and
Tampa International Airport Access
Tampa International Airport Access
This segment of Interstate 275 was originally built in the early 1960’s as a westward extension of Interstate 4 across the Howard Frankland Bridge, the interstate highway was just four lanes with what appeared to be a diamond interchange on the Memorial Highway portion. The Kennedy Blvd portion features a southbound entry and a northbound exit as it appears today. For years after it was constructed it served its traffic needs until the opening of the new Tampa International Airport terminal in 1971. The opening of Tampa International Airport plus increased traffic justified the reconfiguration of the exit at Memorial Highway a few years later as part of an Interstate 275 widening project that took place. A flyover ramp from Interstate 275 northbound to FL 60 westbound was constructed in 1976 enabling non-stop access to Tampa International Airport from St. Petersburg that would benefit St. Petersburg residents. In addition, access to Cypress Street was constructed, which was permanently removed in 2007.
When the improvements were completed, Interstate 275 was widened from 4 to 6 lanes north of Memorial Highway. South of Memorial Highway Interstate 275 remained at 4 lanes until 1991 when the second span of the Howard Frankland Bridge was built expanding the highway’s capacity from 4 to 8 lanes. Today a short 4 lane segment from Kennedy Blvd to Memorial Highway is what remains, creating bottlenecks during the morning and evening rush hour as Interstate 275 narrows.
Improvements completed in 2016 have expanded Interstate 275 from its 4 and 6 lanes to 8 lanes from Memorial Highway to the Ashley/Tampa Street complex next to downtown. In addition, the FL 60 connection from Interstate 275 to the Veterans Expressway entrance has received a major makeover making the interchange easier to navigate.
Coverage of Interstate 275 as it crosses the Howard Frankland Bridge can be found on our Howard Frankland Bridge page.
