State Road 686A, State Road 690 | ||||
Route information | ||||
Maintained by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise | ||||
Status | Under construction | |||
History |
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Major junctions | ||||
East end | I-275 in St. Petersburg | |||
West end |
US 19 in
Pinellas Park SR 686 at Bayside Bridge | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | Florida | |||
Counties | Pinellas | |||
Highway system | ||||
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The Gateway Expressway is a controlled-access toll road under construction in Pinellas County, Florida that is expected to be completed in early-2024 at a cost of $598 million. The project consists of two branches: an elevated highway to be designated State Road 690 (SR 690) above 118th Avenue North between Interstate 275 (I-275) and U.S. Highway 19 (US 19) and a raised highway in the median of SR 686 from 118th Avenue North to the Bayside Bridge. Construction was approved in February 2014 and began in November 2017. [1]
The Gateway Expressway consists of two connected segments:
Both segments will be tolled using electronic toll gantries for SunPass transponders or pay-by-plate billing. [2]
The project includes express lanes on I-275 from south of Gandy Boulevard to 4th Street North, where they will meet express lanes under construction as part of the new Howard Frankland bridge project. [1] [3]
The intention of the Gateway Expressway project is to solve transportation problems in Pinellas County, where several expressway projects were cancelled in the 1970s and 1980s, leaving the county without any major limited-access thoroughfares except for I-275. Significant upgrades to US 19 in the 2000s improved traffic flow north–south in the county. However, only local roads travel east–west. The Gateway Expressway project had been identified for a long time as a priority project to improve traffic flow in Pinellas County. [4]
The project was announced by Governor Rick Scott in a press conference with local officials on February 17, 2014. It had been in the works for 15 years. Construction began in November 2017 and is expected to be complete in Spring 2024 at a cost of $598 million. [5] The project was not expected to be funded for another 15–20 years. [6] Funding will be provided by the Federal Highway Administration ($153 million), Penny for Pinellas funds ($53 million), and the State of Florida (remainder of project costs). [4]
The entire route is in Pinellas County.
Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pinellas Park | US 19 north | Western terminus of SR 690; entrance from US 19 south | |||
118th Avenue North | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; to US 19 south | ||||
SR 686 | Express Lane interchange only; westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||||
St. Petersburg | Gateway Toll Gantry | ||||
118th Avenue North | Westbound exit only; no toll from I-275 | ||||
28th Street North | Eastbound entrance only; no toll to I-275 | ||||
0.00 | 0.00 | I-275 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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The entire route is in Pinellas County.
Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pinellas Park | 0.00 | 0.00 | SR 690 east | Entrance from SR 690 west only | |
SR 688 (Ulmerton Road) | No southbound exit; tolled northbound entrance | ||||
| St. Pete–Clearwater International Airport | No northbound entrance | |||
Largo | SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard) | Northern terminus for northbound lanes | |||
CR 611 / Bayside Bridge | Northern terminus for southbound lanes | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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