I-4 express lanes approved by Hillsborough County transportation planning board

County leaders approve express lanes on I-4

FOX 13's Lloyd Sowers explains how the push from Governor DeSantis to open new express lanes on I-4.

TAMPA, Fla. - The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) cleared the way for new express lanes on I-4 stretching 17 miles from I-75 to County Line Road. 

What we know:

The organization, made up of officials from throughout the county, voted 9-2 in favor of the plan on Wednesday. 

The project would cost $500 million.

The other side:

The dissenting votes were cast by Tampa City Council members Lynn Hurtak and Bill Carlson, who favor mass transit solutions over adding traffic lanes. 

The project passed despite a no vote from their Citizens Advisory Council. They voted 9-4 against adding the lanes. 

Rick Fernandez said, "If you add capacity to a roadway, what's going to happen is that people are going to use it more, and eventually therefore, the roadway will become congested again."

He worries that expanding I-4 will overwhelm Tampa's I-275 and I-4 interchange. He suggested the money be used on mass transit, which he said the area is lacking. 

"Unless we get people out of cars and into alternative transportation, the congestion problem on our roads will just continue to get worse," he added.

The backstory:

The construction of express lanes was scheduled to begin in 2038, but Governor Ron DeSantis accelerated the project. 

He announced it at an event in Bartow in October 2025.

Governor DeSantis said, "the lanes will make a difference, a reliable traffic flow, and will give people a better option to get from Tampa to Central Florida and vice versa."

What's next:

Construction is scheduled to begin in 2028. 

Tolls will use dynamic tolls, which means prices change with traffic. SunPass/E-PASS will be used for payment.