A construction crew works on I-275 in Tampa Heights. Credit: Justin Garcia

This Thursday, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will update Tampa Heights residents about the ongoing expansion of I-275, including the disruption that the construction has caused. The project has drawn the ire of some local residents and elected officials, who have called for a halt to the project.

FDOT contractors will attend the Tampa Heights Civic Association (THCA) general meeting to address these concerns. The meeting will be held at the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association building located at 2005 Lamar Ave. at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. A virtual attendance option is also available via Zoom.

The contractors were asked to attend after construction on I-275’s expansion project started earlier this month, and began disrupting the neighborhood. The pile driving work there is so loud that it was shaking some resident’s houses. Some residents accused FDOT of not being transparent in the plans for their project during a recent Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners meeting on Feb. 9, and local officials called for a halt.

Justin Ricke, 1st Vice President of THCA, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that transparency between FDOT and the community is an ongoing problem.

“They have a pattern of not clearly communicating with the community what their plans are,” Ricke said. “They often put on this appearance that they want to work with the community, but in the end, it just seems like they’re going to do what they want to.”

He hopes more answers will be offered by FDOT during the upcoming meeting.

On Feb. 3, FDOT sent out an email saying that, “Over the coming weeks, nearby homes and businesses should expect noise, vibration, and at times lighting impacts. These impacts are unavoidable as heavy machinery will be used to reconstruct the overpasses at Floribraska Avenue, Lake Avenue, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Chelsea Street, Osborne Avenue, and Hillsborough Avenue as part of the I-275 Capacity Improvements project.”

The $85.3 million project is adding one lane in each direction to I-275 from north of I-4 to the north of Hillsborough Avenue (US-92) using the department’s existing right-of-way. FDOT estimates the project to finish in early 2026.

While answering questions from county commissioners on Feb. 9, FDOT Secretary for District Seven, David Gwynn said that there could have been better communication between FDOT and the community before the construction started.

“We thought we were clear. Could we have been clearer? Perhaps. But we will continue to try,” Gwynn said. “But I can honestly tell you that I have never come here and I’ve never witnessed my staff come here to lie or to misrepresent anything for any purpose.”

This article appears in Feb 17-23, 2022.