Tampa Daily Press

TAMPA — Last week hundreds of workers worked like beavers to make a dam. They were drilling and pounding to the constant hum of traffic as part of the $865 million project.

However, Hurricane Ian is expected to batter Florida’s west coast over the next few days. Construction has reportedly halted and heavy cranes and materials have been removed from the bridge. This means that one of the largest projects in the history of the Florida Department of Transportation is now on pause.

The Howard Frankland bridge, as well as the two other bridges connecting Pinellas County and Hillsborough counties — Gandy Bridge or Courtney Campbell Causeway — is being monitored by law enforcement and the Florida Department of Transportation.

Kris Carson, spokesperson for the regional department, stated that the bridges will be closed if the approaches are covered by water. She couldn’t give an estimate as to when. “We will just have to watch the storm.”

Carson couldn’t confirm when the bridge was completed and when storm preparations started at the site on Tuesday.

Yesterday, the Florida Department of Transportation announced that all traffic lane closures in Tampa Bay were being lifted. Road and bridge contractors were directed to temporarily suspend operations on any active construction projects that lie within the path of Hurricane Ian. According to a news release, “All lanes on the State Road system and interstate in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco, Hernando, Hernando, Citrus counties will remain open.”

As of Tuesday, the cranes used in construction of the Howard Frankland Bridge across Tampa Bay appeared to be tied together. It appears that their lift cables have been dropped into the water ahead Hurricane Ian. An archipelago made up of concrete poles and piles, carved into the Old Tampa Bay floor, and cranes resembling giraffes rises from the murky waters.

With 174,000 daily car trips, the Howard Frankland crossing is the most popular. These trips included many residents who heeded Pinellas County’s mandatory evacuations, as well as others scrambling for food and water to prepare their hurricane kits.

The Howard Frankland currently consists of two spans. One span has four southbound lanes and the other four northbound. None of these lanes are tolled. Four general-use lanes and four express lanes will be constructed on the span. The completion is expected to take place in the second half of 2025.