TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Major traffic congestion is expected for drivers in downtown Tampa this weekend, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

FDOT will shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate 275 and keep only one southbound lane open starting at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.

The closure is scheduled to last until 5 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 6 as crews install the final four steel girders for a new two-lane bridge from southbound I-275 to eastbound I-4.

Delivery driver Charles Howell said the closure will test drivers’ patience.

“There’s a bunch of ways to get down here but like if you’re cutting out the main supply then what are we going to do,” Howell said.

FDOT senior construction project manager Andrew Williams said the girders are critical to the project’s

See Full Page