TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The southbound lanes of I-275 on the Howard Frankland Bridge are closing Wednesday night for construction. The work is another step in the new bridge project.

Leaders with the Florida Department of Transportation plan to switch traffic onto the new structure in the coming months, hopefully by the end of March.

“We’re finishing up some of the decks that are being poured,” Project Manager Austin Petersen said. “I think they have about three more decks to complete before this bridge will be finished and we’ll be able to open it up to traffic.”

A large portion of the work on the new structure is complete.

• 100% of pilings have been driven
• 100% of bridge footings have been completed—494 of 494 footings.
• 100% of bridge columns have been completed— 494 of 494 columns.
• 100% of bridge caps have been completed— 226 of 226 caps.
• 100% of the bridge superstructure beams have been placed—1726 of 1726 beams.

“With the opening in the spring of this year, we’ll still have just the four general-purpose lanes going to Pinellas County. As we continue on through the project and get closer to full completion, the express lanes will be coming online as well,” Petersen added. “That will certainly help with travel times.”

According to FDOT, drivers will notice new safety additions and features for fun.

“Barriers, they will fill in these gaps between these walls and when there are crashes, if there are crashes, we’ll be able to move these hydraulically to allow access for emergency personnel through the express lanes,” Peterson said. “Once we’re fully complete the new bridge will have a shared use path going across it that’s got a set of features as well, some lookout points, so it’ll be a nice walking path that will connect down into the Westshore area.”

The $865 million project will allow the demolition of the current northbound lanes, built in the 1950s.

“It’s a hugely important project to the Tampa Bay region. Obviously, the Howard Frankland Bridge is one of our main ways across the bay and so for people who are just traveling or for goods that are getting across to Pinellas and Hillsborough, it’s an important thoroughfare,” Petersen said.

The southbound lanes of the Howard Frankland will close at 11 p.m. Wednesday and reopen at 5 a.m Thursday. Crews will be installing overhead signage during the closure.