Interstate 275 south exit to Fourth Street N closes for most of 2021

ST. PETERSBURG — Drivers exiting the Howard Frankland Bridge on south Interstate 275 won’t be able use the exit to Fourth Street N until late 2021.

Those drivers will have to take a detour while crews build a new overpass and new exit as part of the $580 million Gateway Expressway plan, which will create new connections between U.S. 19 and I-275.

The Fourth Street N exit was closed early Saturday. Both directions of the Howard Frankland Bridge are also set to close for 16 hours, starting at 8 p.m. Saturday through noon Sunday as part of the project.

The Gateway Expressway project will result in the removal of the Fourth Street N bridge over I-275 and create two elevated toll roads connecting U.S. 19 and the interstate.

Now drivers will have to stay on southbound I-275 and will be directed to Exit 30, where they can turn left onto Roosevelt Boulevard and use that to reach Fourth Street N.

But the closure is expected to increased traffic on the surrounding roads, so drivers will need to factor that into their future travel times.