Selmon Expressway Expansion is set to begin in May, costing $362M to add lanes and upgrade bridges in Tampa

Open house on Selmon Expressway expansion

On Monday evening, you can learn more about the massive expansion about to get underway for the Selmon Expressway. The project will add one lane in each direction from Himes Avenue to Florida Avenue downtown.

TAMPA, Fla. - A community open house will be held tonight regarding the Selmon Expansion Project and its construction beginning in just a few weeks.

Project Scope: $362 Million Capacity Expansion

What we know:

It’s a $362 million project that’s going to add one lane in each direction of the expressway from west of Himes Avenue to east of Florida Avenue in downtown Tampa. The project will also add noise walls in residential areas and will upgrade 26 bridges, including a major upgrade to the Hillsborough River Bridge to transform it into a "distinctive entryway" into downtown Tampa.

It is the largest capacity expansion since the western extension of the Selmon Expressway, which was done five years ago in 2021. Greg Slater, CEO of the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority, goes more into depth on what is going to be done.

Bridging Neighborhoods: New Underpasses and Community Spaces

What they're saying:

"So what we're going to do is we are going to reconstruct all of that expressway, rebuild all of those bridges, including that Hillsborough River Bridge by the convention center where the Pendry construction is and all of the West River connection underneath of there," Slater said. "We're going to redo all of underpasses. We're going to construct everything within the existing right-of-way that we own today and then create some additional community features."

"What we're trying to do is create sections of community space in the different neighborhoods and sections that the expressway goes through and activate that space underneath of the express way in an attempt to connect the communities on either side of it to really activate what we're seeing there," he continued.

The expansion is being funded through THEA’s toll revenue.  

This community open house begins Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. at the Kate Jackson Community Center on Rome Avenue here in Tampa. Construction will begin in early May. It is expected to be complete in 2030.