| Interstate 375 | |||||||
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| North Bay Drive | |||||||
| Route information | |||||||
| Auxiliary route of I-75 | |||||||
| Maintained by FDOT | |||||||
| Length: | 1.34 mi[2] (2.157 km) | ||||||
| Existed: | 1979[1] – present | ||||||
| Major junctions | |||||||
| West end: | I-275 in St. Petersburg | ||||||
| East end: | US 19 Alt. / SR 595 in St. Petersburg |
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| Location | |||||||
| Counties: | Pinellas | ||||||
| Highway system | |||||||
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Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Florida State and County Roads
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Interstate 375 (I-375) in St. Petersburg, Florida, also known as North Bay Drive, is a 1.34-mile-long spur route from Interstate 275 into downtown. It is also designated as the unsigned State Road 592. There is a sibling segment of freeway nearby that is designated I-175.
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Interstate 375 begins at an interchange with Interstate 275 (exit 23), heading east towards downtown St. Petersburg, with interchanges with 8th Street North/9th Street North, before ending at 4th Avenue North west of 4th Street North. Westbound I-375 begins with a split of 5th Avenue North west of 4th Street North with no exits until reaching I-275. Along with its sister highway I-175, I-375 lacks exit numbers.[3]
Interstate 375 was originally planned as a much longer, state highway, extending west of Interstate 275 and following a CSX rail line towards a proposed toll road near Clearwater. When I-75 was relocated in the late 1970s/early 1980s, five miles (8 km) of additional interstate became available, thus the St. Pete feeder sections of I-375 and the neighboring I-175 were upgraded to Interstate status. However, the Interstate Highway standards at the time would not allow the 375 extension to receive Federal Interstate Highway funding, leaving only the section east of I-275 built to freeway standards.
It is because of the cancellation of the rest of Interstate 375 that US 19 north of Gandy Boulevard and south of the Pinellas-Pasco line, is being upgraded to freeway standards.
Contrary to popular belief, the ramp stub at the I-375 interchange was not a result of the failed freeway extension. A connection to 20th St N was originally planned from this stub. However, the 20th St N and 5th Ave N Intersection was already convoluted prior to I-275's construction and the Florida Department of Transportation decided not to build the connection as a result. The planned freeway extension of I-375 was canceled by officials at the Department of Transportation in the mid 1970s. Otherwise, the I-275/I-375 interchange might have had been constructed differently, with several more ramps than it has today.
On March 27, 2007, a tanker entering I-375 east from I-275 south lost control and hit the retaining wall, catching fire and burning for several hours. The resulting fire became so intense, that it severely damaged a large section off the I-375 overpass from southbound I-275. Intense flames also fell to a city-owned (St. Petersburg) construction equipment yard and destroyed 8 to 10 city vehicles, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage to the yard. The fire also spread to St. Pete's stormwater system, blowing off manhole covers within the vicinity. One St. Petersburg police officer was injured as a result of one being stuck by of those manhole covers.
In the end, the driver of the tanker died on-scene due to the fire. The I-375 overpass remained closed for almost four weeks while Florida Department of Transportation rebuilt the damaged sections of the bridge.[4] Tampa Bay Interstates reports that all work was finished on April 21, 2007. Reconstruction of the I-375 overpass included the rebuilding of one entire span, plus 11 concrete beams. In addition, one of the support columns underwent significant repairs to ensure its strength in supporting the roadway. The fly-over reopened to traffic on the morning of April 22, 2007, (about one week ahead of schedule). The St Petersburg Times has reported that the FDOT will place signs along I-275 south, indicating the left exit onto I-375.[5]
The entire route is in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County.
| Mile[6] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.000 | I-275 – Bradenton, Tampa | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance |
| 1.001 | 8th Street North, 9th Street North | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
| 1.190 | 4th Street North to US 92 | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance |
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