The wait is over. FDOT announces I-275 ramp to I-75 will reopen Wednesday morning

The ramp from southbound Interstate 275 to northbound Interstate 75 will open in time for Thanksgiving travel, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Tuesday afternoon.

The long-delayed project to replace the concrete bridge is nearing completion, and the state agency is planning to allow traffic on the ramp starting at 6 a.m. Wednesday morning. It’s the first time the ramp has been open to the public since construction began in July 2018.

FDOT originally pitched the bridge replacement as an effort that would take about 10 months. Instead, it took nearly 16, due to “unknown deterioration to portions of the bridge structure which needed to be addressed,” FDOT spokesman Brian Rick said in an email to the Bradenton Herald in October.

Now, final preparations are underway to ensure the bridge reopening goes as planned. The remaining work — pavement markings along the roadway shoulder and protective coating to the bridge’s steel beams — shouldn’t heavily impact traffic, a release said.

In the coming weeks, drivers can expect periodic overnight lane closures. The project is expected to wrap up in the spring.