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Elevated lanes open for afternoon commuters

By S.I. ROSENBAUM
Published August 29, 2006

For residents of eastern Hills- borough, the homeward commute might offer a new perspective today when the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway's elevated lanes open eastbound for the first time.

The lanes soar above the expressway, offering views of Palm River and Brandon, and a tollbooth-free ride to those who own a Sunpass.

The reversible highway opened last month to Tampa-bound commuters in the morning from 6 to 10 a.m.

Now those same commuters can take the elevated lanes home again, between the hours of 3 and 6:30 p.m.

The Tampa-Hillsborough Expressway Authority plans to extend the hours a few weeks from now.

Commuters can reach the elevated lanes from Meridian Avenue in Tampa, or from two exits on the lower Crosstown highway: west of U.S. 301, and west of 34th Street.

They can exit the elevated highway east of 78th Street or at Town Center Boulevard in Brandon. The toll is $1.

Pedestrians will also get a chance to try out the elevated highway when the authority holds a 5k/10k run across the new lanes on Sept. 23.

The $420-million highway was built to alleviate congestion on the lower lanes. But part of the half-built span sank into soft earth in April 2004, leading to the near-disbandment of the authority. The authority later filed an ongoing lawsuit against its contractors, URS Corp.

[Last modified August 29, 2006, 01:12:05]