New bridge, old driving habits

NEW TAMPA -- Dawn brought a different kind of rush hour to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard today.

The state's new flyover opened for the first time, giving commuters a single, seamless lane from southbound Bruce B. Downs to southbound Interstate 75. No more lining up at a left-turn light.

Motorists heading for I-75 south had to exit to the right near the Lee Roy Selmon's restaurant, instead of steering toward the left-turn lanes under the interstate. 

That was the plan, anyway. Times photographer Ken Helle, who was there to shoot these photos, saw numerous drivers cruising along in the left lane, then cutting over to the right at the very last minute so they'd be ahead of the line onto the flyover. Traffic tickets followed, he said; some of these drivers wove through multiple lanes of traffic, one cut off a cement truck. And don't blame it on confusion; there were signs up and down the road, instructing drivers in what to do. 

The Florida Department of Transportation comissioned the $42-million project. Later this year, northbound drivers on BBD get a new ramp onto I-75, curving under the flyover. Later this summer, the flyover users are to get a second lane on the new bridge. And by New Year's Eve, builder PCL Civil Constructors expects to have the whole deal finished, months ahead of schedule.

A word to those drivers who want to arrive ahead of schedule: RELAX!

Comments

[Betty]

New Tampa drivers are among the rudest I have encountered in my more than 2o years commuting on I-75. Contrary to their belief, they are NOT the most important people in Florida. Sadly, those being ticketed today will be back to their same selfish ways tomorrow.

[FloridaDriversSuck]

florida drivers suck, betty -- it's not a new tampa thing.

There are two idiotic things that real drive home the fact that florida driver's suck:

1- Stopping 20 feet behind a park car, what gives? inch right up so you're 1 foot away, tops

2- Get out of the left hand lane on any interstate if you refuse to go 10 miles over the speed limit. It's an interstate, eveyrone is speeding, you pulling out and going 72 on i-75 is what causes accidents. Everyone is going 10-15 mph ABOVE the speedlimit so keep your slow a-- in the middle or right hand lanes.

[Ray]

It is really nice of them to fix the traffic problems of the Rich folks in New Tampa while the rest of us suffer in jams.

[Chris]

I don't see this fixing anything, except in the morning commutes if you live north of I-75. The evening commute will still be the same, which is worse in my opinion.

I have lived in Tampa my entire life and the problems with the drivers started when Tampa started growing with more people moving here and the city and county were not planning the then "Tampa Palms" area better. Then came Hunters Green and more "exclusive" neighborhoods and then came the name New Tampa.

BBD used to be a 2 lane road that ended at the county line, back when the land the shopping centers and high-end homes are on was nothing more than wetlands. When they "upgraded" BBD to 4 lanes, they should have went ahead and did 6, since everyone knew that building in the area was going to persist for years to come, and there were not as many people living in the New Tampa area then, so it would have caused less headaches. The talk of doing the widening now will take years to complete, and more than likely by then, BBD will still be years behind of where it needs to be.

Luckily I live off of BBD before I-75, but traffic anywhere on BBD is horrible. And yes I agree, most of the New Tampa drivers are rude, but then the same can be said about most drivers lately anyway.

i find most florida driver's don't know what a yield sign is. they either come to a complete stop, or don't look as the merge into a lane.

[Pedalman]

It's a pleasure bicycling down BBD and zipping by the cars stuck in traffic. I'm happily pedaling along to work and I see a lot of unhappy faces -- expressions that are zombie-like. Leave your car at home. Get off your butt. And start pedaling. You'll feel better. And you won't get stressed out driving to work. And you might actually a few pounds and save a few dollars. Wave so long to your former stuck-in-traffic single-occupant vehicles creeping along BBD. Do it -- it'll improve your life.

[Riiight]

This guy above me is funny. Pedalman, how far away from work do you live? Everyone can't have the luxury of riding their bike to work when they work far away. Also, most people enjoy arriving at work not smelly and covered in sweat.

[Seen it before]

Come on--we see the fly by thing all the time. Just try exiting at the Tampa Airport exit on I275 N any business day after 4pm. Fly up in the middle lane and cut over right at the last second. Why wait like all those suckers doing it the "right" way. Oh--and btw, car dealers don't sell cars with signals in FL apparently.

[ken]

Had to comment here, I am back up in Ma. now but, I find that Tampa bay and Florida drivers are like some in New England. In Providence R.I. we have a new bridge partialy opened like the BBD Blvd Bridge. North bound on I95 to E. I195 two lanes and still people cut across 4 lanes to take exit. Wile on a bus trip years ago the Tour bus driver once told me that all drivers in Boston have the same name.
A.. hole. and he was right,I drove truck in Boston many times and heard them call each other by name.
Also, Florida is not the only state that bans turn signals, I think there is a very heavy fine in Rhode Island if they are on your car and in working condition, let alone using them correctly. That lever is for support for your left hand to rest on, you know making a perpetual left turn as you keep going straight down the road for 20 miles.

[Jason]

i hate the hillsborough county sherrif's department. seriously, i hate you. i didn't deserve this ticket today, maybe 1 of my tires was over the white line. thanks also for failing to explain to me why you pointed at me and made me pull over. i will see you in court officer and will take it to trial if i have to.