Interstate 375 (Florida)

Interstate 375
North Bay Drive
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-75
Maintained by FDOT
Length:	1.34 mi (2.157 km)
Existed:	1979 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-275 in St. Petersburg
East end:	US 19 Alt. / SR 595 in St. Petersburg
Location
Counties:	Pinellas
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Florida State Roads Interstate • US • SR (Pre-1945) • Toll ← SR 374 SR 375 → ← SR 589 SR 594 →

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

Route description

Interstate 375 begins at an interchange with Interstate 275 (exit 23), heading east towards downtown St. Petersburg, with interchanges with 8th Street North/9th Street North, before ending at 4th Avenue North west of 4th Street North. Westbound I-375 begins with a split of 5th Avenue North west of 4th Street North with no exits until reaching I-275. Along with its sister highway I-175, I-375 lacks exit numbers.

History

Original aspirations

Interstate 375 was originally planned as a much longer, state highway, extending west of 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 the neighboring I-175 were upgraded to Interstate status. However, the Interstate Highway standards at the time would not allow the 375 extension to receive Federal Interstate Highway funding, leaving only the section east of I-275 built to freeway standards.

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 being upgraded to freeway standards.^{[citation needed]}

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 the Florida Department of Transportation decided not to build the connection as a result. The planned freeway extension of I-375 was canceled by officials at the Department of Transportation in the mid 1970s. Otherwise, the I-275/I-375 interchange might have had been constructed differently, with several more ramps than it has today.^{[citation needed]}

2007 Tanker Incident

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. Petersburg police officer was injured as a result being struck by 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 while Florida Department of Transportation rebuilt the damaged sections of the bridge. 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 fly-over reopened to traffic on the morning of April 22, 2007, (about one week ahead of schedule). The St Petersburg Times has reported that the FDOT will place signs along I-275 south, indicating the left exit onto I-375.

Exit list

The entire route is in St. Petersburg, Pinellas County.

Mile	Destinations	Notes
0.000	I-275 – Bradenton, Tampa	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
1.001	8th Street North, 9th Street North	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
1.190	4th Street North to US 92	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance

References

Tanker Incident

• Tanker explosion shuts down I-375 overpass indefinitely Bay News 9 - 3/29/07
• Grand Prix Fans Must Take Alternate Route TBO.com - 3/29/07
• Deadly tanker explosion in St. Pete WFTS - 3/29/07
• Fatal tanker truck fire closes I-375 in St. Pete WTSP - 3/29/07
• Widespread damage from crash, explosions WTVT - 3/29/07
• Highway not repairable WTVT - 3/29/07
• Scorched highway must be replaced WTVT - 3/29/07
• Crashed tanker unleashes blaze St. Petersburg Times - 3/29/07
• FDOT: Overpass will have to be demolished Bay News 9 - 3/30/07

External links

• Kurumi - I-375 Florida General Info
• Interstate 375 Florida page at Interstate275Florida.com History and Photos
• Photos of the I-375 flyover after the tanker accident mentioned above.