Howard Frankland Bridge

Traylor is part of a joint venture selected to replace the northbound I-275 Howard Frankland Bridge connecting Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida over Old Tampa Bay. The new three-mile-long bridge for the Florida Department of Transportation will be the widest bridge ever constructed in Florida, featuring four southbound general-purpose lanes, two southbound express lanes, two northbound express lanes, and a shares-use path that includes accommodations for a future light rail system.

The existing southbound bridge, constructed by Traylor in the 1980s, will be converted to the new northbound I-275. When complete, the current northbound bridge will be removed. Construction began in the fall of 2020 and is expected to conclude in 2026. The newly built connection will add capacity and mobility to account for future growth of the Tampa/St. Pete region and will allow for improved emergency management scenarios and hurricane evacuations.

The foundation work required the installation of over 3,000 concrete piles to support 494 footings, 494 columns, and 224 caps across 112 piers.

Throughout the project, environmental stewardship has been a priority, with two full-time manatee observers monitoring wildlife disruptions and “soft starts” pile driving to reduce the noise impact made. Despite challenges such as varying pile driving conditions and hurricanes, the substructure on the bridge was completed in November of 2024. Over 71,000 cubic yards of concrete was poured and 22.5 million pounds of rebar installed. In December of 2024, the placement of the final of 1,730 girders marked another major milestone, paving the way for the final stages of construction.