MLK Bridge Soon to be Barricade Free

Those orange traffic barricades actually aren't permanent fixtures on the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard bridge over the Hillsborough River. But Central Tampa commuters couldn't be blamed for thinking so, since they've been up for the better part of a year.

The MLK road improvement project that includes the bridge and stretches from Armenia to Nebraska avenues began in January 2011. The last phase of it, the bridge, should be completed by the end of this month, according to Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Kris Carson. Finishing touches on the north face of bridge and a crosswalk are all that remain, said Carson.

The entire project included resurfacing MLK Boulevard between Armenia and Nebraska, resurfacing MLK ramps at Interstate 275, replacing the traffic signal mast arms at Highland, Florida and Central avenues, relocating the pedestrian signals to new mast arms at those three intersections, adding a new crosswalk between Marguerite Street and Interstate 275.

For the bridge, work included replacing the sidewalk, hand railing, roadway lighting and barrier wall, and replacing the navigational lighting under the bridge.

The project cost $3.2 million, according to FDOT.