TAMPA, Fla. - Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke Tuesday about "major progress" on the Tampa Bay area's largest state-funded road projects, including the expansion of the Howard Frankland Bridge along with a stretch of I-275 in Pinellas County .

The governor talked about the latest steps in each project during a news conference at Tampa International Airport .

Howard Frankland Bridge project

DeSantis, along with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, announced Tuesday that demolition of the oldest span of the Howard Frankland Bridge has officially begun.

It’s part of the $865 million bridge replacement project that began in 2020.

Among the changes: northbound I-275 traffic shifted from the old bridge, which was built around 1960, to the 1990s span of the Howard Fr

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