I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector

I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length: 2.0 mi[1] (3.2 km)
longest movement (I-4 east to Port of Tampa)
Existed: 6 January 2014 – present
Major junctions
South end: SR 618 in Tampa
North end: I-4 in Tampa
Location
Counties: Hillsborough
Highway system

The I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector (also known as the Crosstown Connector) is a toll road that carries traffic between Interstate 4, the Selmon Expressway (SR 618), and the Port of Tampa east of Ybor City in the city of Tampa, Florida. It primarily comprises four parallel one-way roadways west of 31st Street, continuously elevated over local streets, railroads, and vacant land, with a SunPass/toll-by-plate electronic toll gantry spanning the entire structure near the southern end. All movements were opened to traffic on January 6, 2014, but the direct connections to the Port of Tampa are open only to trucks.

The connector project is maintained by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT),[2] and was constructed by FDOT in coordination with Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) and the Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA). Construction began in March 2010 and was completed in January 2014.[3] The project was one of the largest single recipients of the 2009 Federal Stimulus funding grants.[4] The highway currently has no signed or unsigned state road number.

Route description

Approaching the Crosstown exit on westbound I-4

To minimize dangerous weaving patterns and major bottlenecks, traffic utilizing the I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector between I-4 and eastbound Selmon Expressway to/from Brandon is physically separated from traffic utilizing the connector to get to/from Downtown Tampa via I-4 westbound. The entire tollway is elevated.

Traffic travelling along eastbound I-4 from I-275 is able to transition onto the eastbound Selmon going to Brandon with access to 50th St being maintained. Eastbound Selmon commuters coming from South Tampa can connect to eastbound I-4 to travel to I-75 North, as well as Lakeland, Orlando, and other points northeastward. For westbound traffic, access to the westbound Selmon, as well as access to 22nd/21st Streets, are provided. Commuters wishing to travel to I-275, Temple Terrace, and Tampa International Airport can access westbound I-4 via the westbound Selmon. Commuters wishing to avoid the gridlock at the I-4 / I-275 interchange, colloquially named "Malfunction Junction," can use the Connector as an alternate route towards St. Petersburg.

Cargo traffic to the Port of Tampa (now known as the Port of Tampa Bay) is heavily recommended to use the "Truck Only" lanes of the Connector, as they safely channel truck cargo traffic to and from the Port without burdening Ybor City. Access to the cargo lanes are provided from both directions of I-4. The Port entry ramp disperses at 20th St, just south of Durham St, and likewise, trucks exiting the port can access either direction of I-4 via the slip ramp from 22nd St, just north of Durham St.

Because the Selmon's Reversible Express Lanes (or REL) were specifically designed for traffic traveling between Brandon and Downtown Tampa, no access is available from the REL to I-4. Commuters wishing to use the Connector have to use the ground-level "Local Lanes" of the Selmon. Stub ramps were built at the northern ends of the Connector to allow for additional access points to I-4 should traffic conditions warrant. The northern interchange can be easily reconfigured to allow for access onto "Local Lanes" of I-4, as well as planned Managed Lanes (or "Express Lanes") as part of the Tampa Bay Express project.

Tolls

Overhead toll gantries on the highway eliminates the need for toll plazas, as Florida's Turnpike is making such gantries standard for all new toll facilities. SunPass and the "We Bill You" (Toll-by-Plate) program is utilized. The toll rate for trucks (regardless of direction and number of axles), and cars traveling from westbound I-4 to westbound Selmon is 1.02 for SunPass customers and $1.29 for "We Bill You"/Toll-by-Plate. The toll rate for cars traveling from eastbound Selmon to eastbound I-4 is $0.51 for SunPass customers and $0.76 for "We Bill You"/Toll-by-Plate. An additional $2.50 Administration fee is billed for "We Bill You"/Toll-by-Plate. [5]

History

A stub ramp on the north side of the connector. When express toll lanes are added to the median of I-4, the existing ramp to the median will connect with the westbound express lanes, while a new bridge will connect this stub to non-tolled lanes of westbound I-4.

The I-4–Selmon Expressway Connector was originally conceived in the 1980s as a high-speed route between South Tampa (to include MacDill Air Force Base) and Orlando, as well as from Lutz to Brandon. It also serves to divert commercial traffic and hazardous cargo from Ybor’s historic district.[6] Planning for the project was completed in late 2008, with funding secured in the summer of 2009. Despite falling gas tax revenues and the ongoing global recession, THEA was able to obtain about $105 million for the $487 million project from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, allowing the project to begin construction in March 2010. The remaining funds will be paid off over time with a $1.25 toll for traffic [7][8][9] The projected time of completion was set around 2014; it was hoped that the highway could open as soon as early 2013,[10][11] however in May 2013 the opening date was set as "by December 31".[12]

On December 28, 2013, a 5k run was held to celebrate the opening of the connector to vehicular traffic. The revised target date to open the connector to vehicular traffic was Friday, January 3, 2014,[13] but was pushed back to Monday, January 6, 2014 due to inclement weather.[14] The highway was able to open on the morning of January 6, 2014, despite heavy fog in the area.[15]

Despite relatively light traffic during parts of the day, FDOT has reported that the number cargo trucks using the Connector is averaging 1,600 per day since its January 6 opening.[16]


See also

References

  1. ↑ Google Maps directions
  2. ↑ Bay News 9, Better signage needed on Selmon connector ramps?, February 10, 2014
  3. ↑ "I-4 / Selmon Expressway Connector (new road)". Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  4. ↑ "Connector from Lee Roy Selmon Expressway to I-4 on stimulus list". Retrieved 22 September 2013.
  5. ↑ Complete Toll Schedule - Effective 7/1/14
  6. ↑ Shopes, Rich (October 16, 2007). "3 Agencies Reach Deal To Link I-4, Expressway". The Tampa Tribune.
  7. ↑ Cashill, Margaret (April 17, 2009). "Transportation provides a path to jobs". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  8. ↑ Jackovics, Ted (June 15, 2009). "DOT: I-4 Connector project will generate 14,000 jobs". The Tampa Tribune.
  9. ↑ "Runners will race across I-4 connector before it opens to cars". Tampa Bay Times. December 27, 2013.
  10. ↑ Salinero, Mike (July 13, 2009). "Settlement from crosstown collapse to fund extra downtown lane". The Tampa Tribune.
  11. ↑ Kamm, Grayson (November 17, 2009). "I-4 Connector project set for cheaper and faster finish". 10 Connects.
  12. ↑ Jackovics, Ted (May 15, 2013). "I-4, Selmon connector project on track". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, FL. Retrieved 2013-10-14.
  13. ↑ "Runners hit the new I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector ahead of next week's opening". Tampa Bay Times. December 28, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Bad weather delays opening of I-4/Selmon Expressway connector". Tampa Bay Times. 2 January 2014.
  15. ↑ "I-4 Connector, the elevated highway linking I-4, Selmon (Crosstown) Expressway, is open to commuters". ABC Action News (Tampa Bay). 6 January 2014.
  16. ↑ http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/local_news/fdot-growing-number-of-trucks-using-i-4--selmon-expressway-connector FDOT: Growing number of trucks using I-4 / Selmon Expressway Connector - ABC Action News - 27 January 2014
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