Interstate 375 (Florida)

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Interstate 375
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System
Maintained by FLDOT
Length: 1.34 mi (2.16 km)
West end: I-275 in St. Petersburg
East end:
Alt US 19/595 in St. Petersburg
Florida State and County Roads
< SR 590 SR 594 >

Interstate 375 (abbreviated I-375) in St. Petersburg, Florida, also known as North Bay Drive, is a 1.34-mile-long spur route from Interstate 275 (Florida) into downtown. It is also designated as the unsigned State Road 592. There is a sibling segment of freeway nearby designated as I-175.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Original aspirations

Interstate 375 was originally planned as a much longer, state highway, extending beyond Interstate 275 and following a CSX rail line towards a proposed toll road near Clearwater. When I-75 was relocated in the late 1970s/early 1980s, five miles (8 km) of additional interstate became available, thus the St. Pete feeder sections of I-375 and neighboring I-175 were upgraded to interstate status. However, the interstate standards at the time would not allow the 375 extension to receive federal interstate funding. As a result, the original plans failed and only the downtown St. Petersburg stretch was built.

It is because of the cancellation of the rest of Interstate 375 that US 19, north of Gandy Boulevard and south of the Pinellas-Pasco line, is getting a freeway-style reconstruction.

Contrary to popular belief, the ramp stub at the I-375 interchange was NOT a result of the failed freeway extension. A connection to 20th St N was originally planned from this stub. However, the 20th St N and 5th Ave N Intersection was already convoluted prior to I-275's construction and FDOT decided not to build the connection as a result. The planned freeway extension of I-375 was killed by the mid 1970s. Otherwise, the I-275/I-375 interchange may have had been constructed differently, with several more ramps than it has today.[citation needed]

[edit] 2007 Tanker Incident

The I-275/I-375 junction during reconstruction of the damaged flyover (left)
The I-275/I-375 junction during reconstruction of the damaged flyover (left)

On March 27, 2007, a tanker entering I-375 east from I-275 south lost control and hit the retaining wall, catching fire and burning for several hours. The resulting fire became so intense, that it severely damaged a large section off the I-375 overpass from southbound I-275. Intense flames also fell to a city-owned (St. Petersburg) construction equipment yard and destroyed 8 to 10 city vehicles, causing an estimated $500,000 in damage to the yard. The fire also spread to St. Pete's stormwater system, blowing off manhole covers within the vicinity. One St. Pete police officer was injured as a result of one of those manhole covers.

In the end, the driver of the tanker died on-scene due to the fire; the I-375 overpass remained closed for almost four weeks as FDOT rebuilt the damaged sections of the bridge. [1] Tampa Bay Interstates reports that all work was finished on April 21, 2007. Reconstruction of the I-375 overpass included the rebuilding of one entire span, plus 11 concrete beams. In addition, one of the support columns underwent significant repairs to ensure its strength in supporting the roadway. The flyover reopened to traffic on the morning of April 22, 2007 (about one week ahead of schedule). The St Petersburg Times reports that FDOT will place signage along I-275 south, indicating the left exit onto I-375 [2].

Many visitors took alternate routes to the Grand Prix race in downtown St. Petersburg (which started three days after the accident), including 5th Ave N and I-175. The accident is comparable to a similar incident in April, 2007 at the MacArthur Maze in Oakland in terms of roadway damage. However, the truck driver in the Oakland incident survived.[citation needed]

[edit] Exit list

County Location Mile[1] # Destinations Notes
Pinellas St. Petersburg 0.000 I-275 Westbound exit, eastbound entrance
1.001 1 9th Street North, 10th Street North Eastbound exit, westbound entrance
1.190 2 4th Avenue North to US 92 , 5th Avenue North Eastbound exit, westbound entrance

[edit] References

  1. ^ Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT Interchange Report. Retrieved on October 4, 2007.

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Auxiliary routes of Interstate 75
Florida: 175 • 275 • 375 — Georgia: 475 • 575 • 675 — Tennessee: 175 (future) • 275 — Kentucky: 175 (future) — Ohio: 275 • 475 • 675 — Michigan: 275 • 375 • 475 • 675
v • d • e
Freeways in the Tampa Bay Area
Radial
Circumferential
Toll
Crosstown Expressway (SR 618) • Veterans Expressway (SR 589) • Suncoast Parkway (SR 589)
Area bridges