{"id":300116,"date":"2026-06-08T16:50:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:50:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/300116\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T16:50:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T16:50:06","slug":"howard-frankland-bridge-pedestrian-trail-opens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/300116\/","title":{"rendered":"Howard Frankland Bridge pedestrian trail opens"},"content":{"rendered":"

After years of anticipation, a new shared-use path near the Howard Frankland Bridge has officially opened. Westshore Alliance representatives and community members came together Saturday in Tampa to celebrate the occasion.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The approximately seven-mile trail, designed for pedestrians and cyclists, connects St. Petersburg and Tampa. It is adjacent to the north side of the new bridge. Residents and guests began to use the path May 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Westshore Alliance executive director Michael Maurino said that the project is part of a larger initiative. According to the Tampa Economic Development Council, the organization is a business-based, membership organization that promotes the growth and economic prosperity of the Westshore Business District.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBy rebuilding the Westshore Interchange (I-275\/State Road 60) and the bridge, you can create a street grid through Westshore and that\u2019s what has been missing over the years,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat street grid is what allows you to have pedestrian connections like this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Westshore Alliance team was \u201cpart of the group that determined the trail\u2019s aesthetics,\u201d Maurino added. Four shaded overlooks were intentional.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He said that the Courtney Campbell Trail and the former Friendship Trail Bridge near the Gandy Bridge served as inspirations for the effort. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, Westshore Alliance leaders hope to connect the Howard Frankland Bridge trail to downtown Tampa. The project is also a part of a larger Trust for Public Land initiative called the Florida Gulf Coast Trail.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the organization\u2019s website, the long-term goal <\/a>is to create a 420-mile trail through various pathways in seven southwest Florida counties. The project, which would span from Tampa Bay to Naples, would offer \u201csafe pathways for outdoor recreation,\u201d \u201cpromote alternative modes of transportation,\u201d \u201cfoster health and well-being\u201d and encourage individuals to explore nature.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have enough of these trails and low pedestrian pathways now built or planned,\u201d Maurino explained. \u201cSo, it\u2019s about filling those gaps now. We have sun like 300 days a year. There\u2019s no reason why we can\u2019t have more of these regional trails.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The goal is to make outdoor activities \u201caccessible to everybody,\u201d he said. This can create a \u201csense of place and sense of community.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

From left, Westshore Alliance executive director Michael Maurino and Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda at the Saturday celebration.<\/p>\n

In 1960, the original Howard Frankland Bridge opened. For 30 years, it had a single span that carried traffic in both directions. By 1990, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) created a parallel span for southbound vehicles (Tampa to St. Petersburg).<\/p>\n

Construction on a new southbound Howard Frankland Bridge<\/a>, with express lanes and a pedestrian trail, began in 2020. FDOT oversaw the initiative, which cost over $900 million. It officially opened in March 2025. However, the shared-use path was still under construction.<\/p>\n

Demolition efforts on the 1960 span began<\/a> in July of the same year. The 1990 section now exclusively serves northbound traffic (St. Petersburg to Tampa).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tampa City Council member Charlie Miranda has served on the Council on and off since 1974. A Ybor City native, Miranda has witnessed many changes in Tampa over the years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have something that wasn\u2019t there before,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it gives everybody an opportunity to calm down when they\u2019re walking or biking up the lane.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Miranda said that pedestrians can see \u201cthings that are different,\u201d including birds and waterfront scenery. This, he believes, can help individuals understand \u201cwhat nature is\u201d and \u201cwhat life is.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live in a world now that\u2019s very competitive and a world now that\u2019s very strenuous,\u201d Miranda added. \u201cIt\u2019s a world that has a lot of opportunity but with that comes a lot of stress for people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Francisco Caballero and Emmanuel Fleming experienced the Howard Frankland Bridge trail for the first time Saturday. They ran all the way to Pinellas County.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to see the growth and trajectory that the City of Tampa is going in,\u201d Caballero said, \u201cand more amenities, especially for people who are active in the community.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fleming, a Pinellas County resident, argued that the trail is a \u201cgreat opportunity to experience a different perspective\u201d in comparison to driving a car on the bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to FDOT, individuals can access the trail from the \u201cnorth end of 4th Street in St. Petersburg and the south end of Reo Street in Tampa.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After years of anticipation, a new shared-use path near the Howard Frankland Bridge has officially opened. Westshore Alliance…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-300116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=300116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/300116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=300116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=300116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=300116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}