Drivers who creep past Tampa International Airport at rush hour just got a much sharper look at how the state plans to untie the Westshore traffic knot. On Wednesday, the Florida Department of Transportation rolled out detailed visuals for a full rebuild of the Westshore Interchange that will stack new flyovers, add express lanes and reopen local streets beneath I-275 as part of a roughly $1 billion makeover.
Open house and where to see the plans
The Florida Department of Transportation, District Seven, walked residents through the project in a two-part open house that split the day between a virtual noon session and an in-person meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. at 5517 West La Salle Street. According to FDOT, the online presentation will stay up on the project webpage, where staff materials include maps, renderings and construction phasing for the public to review at their own pace.
Who's building it and what it costs
Construction under Priority 1A began in January and went to a joint venture between Superior and Lane under contracts totaling about $643 million. As reported by Webuild, the work package covers new flyovers, additional bridges and lane reconfigurations all aimed at cutting down the heavy weaving that routinely bogs down the corridor.
Closures and detours drivers should expect
Nighttime closures are already part of the deal. FDOT has warned that the northbound I-275 Exit 39 ramp to SR-60 West and SR-589 will shut down nightly from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. on select dates while crews put temporary traffic controls in place. The agency says advance warning signs are posted and advises drivers heading to Tampa International Airport to use West Kennedy Boulevard and follow signed detours while construction is underway.
Design highlights and who benefits
The updated design calls for a stacked, multi-level interchange that widens general-purpose lanes, adds dedicated tolled express lanes and weaves in new shared-use paths for people walking and biking. Project materials still peg the full build-out at roughly $1 billion. Choose Westshore notes that the reconstruction is expected to serve about 400,000 vehicles a day and to give drivers earlier chances to choose the correct lane, which is intended to cut down on weaving and crashes.
Timeline and what to expect next
Officials say the work will be sequenced so that pieces of the project can open as they are finished, with crews already shifting traffic into temporary alignments. Local reporting projects that the initial construction package will run through 2029, with Priority 1A anticipated to be substantially complete by the end of 2029, according to Spectrum Bay News 9.
What residents asked and next steps
During the in-person session, engineers fielded questions about neighborhood access, noise and potential property impacts, and walked attendees through planned detours and construction timelines. A project fact sheet notes that community outreach during design cut parcel impacts from more than 200 properties to fewer than 10. The embedded 10 Tampa Bay video above captures key moments from the meeting and offers a closer look at the renderings officials put on display.
