BBD Widening Under I-75 Finally Commencing

By Matt Wiley

Dirt is moving once again along the median of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, as crews prepare to begin widening the section under and around I-75, which isn’t expected to be completed until July 2014.

Since the recent completion of the widened I-75 overpasses above BBD, the temporary Acrow bridge has been removed and dismantled by Prince Contracting. The supports for that bridge were the last thing holding up the finishing touches on the portion of “Segment B” of the BBD widening project, which stretches from Pebble Creek Dr. south to Palm Springs Blvd. in Tampa Palms.

“Once the temporary bridge center (supports) have been removed, (Prince) will be able to use the median area for the various traffic shifts that will be needed to construct permanent drainage and pavement,” FDOT spokesman John McShaffrey explains.

McShaffrey adds that Prince crews have been working on the portions of the needed drainage outside of traffic for the past several weeks and were expected to begin working in full force on the widening of BBD under I-75 on January 1, which was after we went to press with this issue. The widening of this approximately 1-mile stretch of BBD is expected to cost about $4.7 million and is part of the overall widening of I-75.

Currently, BBD funnels from the newly widened four lanes in either direction back down to two lanes from Commerce Palms/Tampa Palms Blvd. north to Doña Michelle Dr. Although the other bottle neck will still exist from Pebble Creek Dr. north to the Pasco County line, when Segment B has been completed, New Tampa drivers will have four lanes in either direction all the way from Pebble Creek Dr. south to Palm Springs Blvd.