Interstate 175 Florida

Interstate 175 Florida

Overview

I-175/275 - St Petersburg, FL

The exchange joining I-275 with I-175 (South Bay Drive) and Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. 12/31/19

Interstate 175 (South Bay Drive) constitutes an urban freeway connecting I-275 with Tropicana Field and Downtown St. Petersburg. I-175 is one-tenth of a mile longer than nearby Interstate 375 (North Bay Drive). The spur doubles as Florida State Road 594, which extends one block east of the freeway end to SR 687 (3rd Street S) north.

Serving the St. Petersburg Innovation District, a new ramp opened from 4th Street S northbound to I-175 west by Summer 2017. Planned since 2005, the $600,000 project was funded by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). The connection improved access to the Interstate system from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and the Dali Museum.1

History

When Interstate 75 was relocated to the east Tampa bypass in Hillsborough County in the late 1970s, five miles of eligible Interstate mileage became available for use elsewhere in Florida. Some of this unused mileage was allocated for the South Bay Drive spur to Downtown St. Petersburg (Interstate 175).

South Bay Drive was constructed in tandem with North Bay Drive (I-375) in two phases between 1977 and 1980. Work on the final link for the freeway, between 9th Street S (Martin Luther King, Jr. Street) and 4th Street S, commenced in 1977. Interstate 175 opened to traffic without fanfare on July 23, 1980 at total cost of $8.5 million.2

Route Information

  • West End – St. Petersburg, FL

  • East End – St. Petersburg, FL

  • Mileage – 1.44
  • Cities – St. Petersburg
  • Junctions –

Source: December 31, 2021 Interstate Route Log and Finders List

I-175 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT)

Vehicles per day Location
46,000 I-275 to MLK St S
28,500 MLK St S to 6th St S
22,500 6th St s to 4th St S

Source: 2019 AADT – Florida Traffic Online

FDOT submitted to applications to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) for the formal establishment of both I-175 and I-375 on April 21, 1981.

This spur route, to be designated Interstate 175, functions as a connector route that provides access between Interstate 275, the St. Petersburg Central Business District and the Urban Highway network.

Specifically, this route is 1.439 miles in length and is a limited access four-lane facility built to Interstate standards. The west end of this route connects to Interstate 275 and continues to provide direct access to a principal arterial (SR 687/U.S. 92).

AASHTO rejected both routes, citing a lack of approval by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in a letter dated July 1, 1981. Designating I-175 and I-375 as logical additions to the Interstate System, FDOT received concurrence from the FHWA following a formal request on September 3, 1981. A succeeding application for I-175 and I-375 to AASHTO was approved on November 20, 1982.3

 Photo Guides

East End Florida 594 Florida 687 – St. Petersburg, Florida

I-175 East at Florida 594 Florida 687

I-175 east at MLK St - St. Petersburg, FL
I-175 east at 4th St S - St. Petersburg, FL

Succeeding half diamond interchanges with MLK, Jr. Street S/8th Street S and 6th Street S precede the freeway end where I-175 shifts onto 5th Avenue S at SR 687 (4th St S). 04/03/20

I-175 east at 4th St S - St. Petersburg, FL

Two lanes lower to grade level and combine with 5th Avenue S (SR 594) ahead of USF St. Petersburg and the south end of SR 687 (4th Street S). 04/03/20

I-175 east at 4th St S - St. Petersburg, FL

SR 594 extends east from the end of I-175 one block (0.09 miles) to SR 687 (3rd Street N) northbound. The Dali Museum lies an additional two blocks further along 5th Avenue S. 04/03/20

Florida 687 South at I-175 Florida 594

SR 687 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

The entrance ramp to Interstate 175 west leaves SR 687 (4th Street S) south at Delmar Terrace S. 10/08/17

SR 687 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

SR 687 ends at the adjacent intersection with 5th Avenue S (SR 594) while 4th Street S continues into the Bartlett Park neighborhood. 10/08/17

4th Street S north at I-175 Florida 594

4th St S north at SR 594/I-175 - St. Petersburg
4th St S at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL
4th St S at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

4th St S north at the east end of I-175 and SR 594 (5th Avenue S). 10/08/17

I-175 East End Throwback

I-175 east at 9th/8th St S - 2000

The sign bridge for 4th Street S just east of I-275 was removed. 9th Street S was renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Street S. 12/27/00

I-175 east at 6th St S - St Petersburg, FL

Guide signs at the 8th Street S overpass were replaced in kind by 2011. 07/30/06

I-175 east at SR 687/4th St S - St Petersburg, FL

The previous end sign for I-175 at the 6th Street S underpass. 07/30/06

I-175 east at SR 687/4th St S - St Petersburg, FL

Button copy guide signs at the east end of I-175 and 5th Avenue S (SR 594) at SR 687 (4th Street S) were replaced sometime after 2006. 07/30/06

SR 687 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Prior to 2017, the lone access point for the westbound beginning of I-175 was the ramp from SR 687 (4th Street S) southbound. 07/10/11

West End I-275 – St. Petersburg, Florida

I-175 West at I-275

I-175 west at I-275 - St. Petersburg, FL

I-175 (South Bay Drive) runs just south of Tropicana Field by this pedestrian bridge preceding the three wye interchange with Interstate 275. 04/03/20

I-175 west at I-275 - St. Petersburg, FL

Spanning 16th Street S, Interstate 175 westbound separates with two lanes for both I-275 north to Tampa and I-275 south to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and Bradenton (via U.S. 19). 04/03/20

I-175 west at I-275 - St. Petersburg, FL

The connection to Interstate 275 south merges on the left side of the freeway mainline prior to the half diamond interchange (Exit 21) with 28th Street S. 04/03/20

I-275 South at I-175

I-275 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Interstate 275 advances a half mile along a viaduct spanning the St. Petersburg street grid south to the three wye interchange (Exit 22) with I-175 (South Bay Drive) east. 05/28/14

I-275 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

A weaving traffic pattern unfolds along I-275 south between the adjacent exchanges with I-375 (North Bay Drive) and the left exit for Interstate 175 east. 04/03/20

I-275 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Southbound I-275 reduces to two lanes with the lane drop for Interstate 175 east at Exit 22. The ensuing stretch of I-275 winds through South St. Petersburg to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge into Manatee County. 04/03/20

I-275 south at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Flyovers for I-175 (South Bay Drive) east combine just ahead of the the off-ramp for M.L. King, Jr. Street S. 04/03/20

I-275 North at I-175

I-275 north at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

I-175 and I-375 depart within three quarter miles of each other along the periphery of Downtown St. Petersburg. 05/25/19

I-275 north at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Passing over 28th Street S on the approach to I-175 (South Bay Drive) east on I-275 northbound. 05/25/19

I-275 north at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

A lane drop occurs along Interstate 275 north for I-175 east at Exit 22. South Bay Drive leads east toward Mahaffey Theater, the Salvador Dali Museum and Albert Whitted Airport (SPG). 05/25/19

I-275 north at I-175 - St. Petersburg, FL

Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, lies within the northeast quadrant of the I-275/175 exchange. Nearby ramps connect I-175 with MLK, Jr. Street to the ball park and 6th Street S to USF St. Petersburg. 05/25/19

I-175 West End Throwback

I-175 west at I-275 - 2006
I-175 west at I-275 - 2006

Previous guide signs for Interstate 275 were replaced in kind by 2011. 07/30/06

Sources:

  1. “New downtown St. Pete on-ramp expected to be a boon for Innovation District.” Tampa Bay Business Journal (FL). March 15, 2017.
  2. “I-275 south feeder is open downtown.” St. Petersburg Times (FL), July 24, 1980.
  3. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Route Numbering Committee Meeting, November 20, 1982 (document).

Page updated October 22, 2020.