From Florida Department of Transportation
Summary
The Florida Department of Transportation’s Howard Frankland Bridge project has been named a regional winner in the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards. The project added 50% more capacity to the critical I-275 corridor, including new express lanes and a shared-use path, while improving travel reliability for more than 200,000 daily drivers. The project will now compete for a spot among the Top 12 national finalists.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) announced at the end of August that the Howard Frankland Bridge project was selected as a regional winner in the Operations Excellence – Large Project category of the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards competition, presented by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).
The awards were announced during the closing session of the Southeastern Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (SASHTO) Annual Meeting in Greenville, South Carolina.
Tampa Bay’s population has grown dramatically since the original bridge was built and the new Howard Frankland Bridge provides major improvements to the regional travel experience. During construction, the new bridge was built adjacent to the existing one to limit impacts to the traveling public. Overall, the project added 50% more capacity to this critical corridor, improving regional connectivity, relieving congestion, and providing more reliable travel times for over 200,000 daily drivers. The new bridge features two new express lanes in both directions and a brand new shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists. For more information on the project, please visit the project website.
"Proud of the work the FDOT team has done to be awarded this recognition," said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “This Howard Frankland Bridge project is a great example of how Florida continues to invest in infrastructure that relieves congestion, hardens coastal facilities, and solves critical transportation needs.”
Now in its 19th year, the America’s Transportation Awards competition celebrates the work of state departments of transportation across the country, highlighting projects that improve quality of life, increase safety, and drive innovation. This year, 44 states plus the District of Columbia submitted 127 project nominations across four categories: Quality of Life/Community Development, Best Use of Technology & Innovation, Operations Excellence, and Safety.
The Howard Frankland Bridge project will compete in an additional round of voting where the top three projects from each region will make up the Top 12 National Finalists. These finalists will compete for two national prizes: the Grand Prize, selected by an independent panel of judges, and the People’s Choice Award, determined through public online voting. AASHTO will reveal both winners at its annual meeting in November 2026 in Louisville, KY. The winners of those awards will each receive $10,000 to donate to a scholarship fund or charitable cause of their choice.
To learn more about the competition and view all nominated projects, visit https://americastransportationawards.org.
Key Points
- Regional award: The Howard Frankland Bridge project won in the Operations Excellence – Large Project category of the 2026 America’s Transportation Awards.
- More capacity: The project increased capacity across the critical Tampa Bay corridor by 50%.
- Improved travel: The new bridge is designed to reduce congestion and provide more reliable travel times for more than 200,000 daily drivers.
- New features: The project includes two express lanes in each direction and a shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists.
- National competition: The project will advance to another round of voting for a chance to become one of 12 national finalists, with winners announced in November 2026.
