It's a lot of cars in a small amount of space.
- Exit from eastbound Selmon Expressway to Gandy problematic
- New yield signs installed at start of exit ramp
- Bigger changes on the horizon to increase safety
Drivers along eastbound Gandy Boulevard in Tampa find themselves on alert as Selmon Expressway traffic makes its move to join the flow of traffic. There is a very short amount of space from the eastbound Selmon Expressway exit ramp and the intersection at Dale Mabry Highway.
Add to that congestion eastbound Gandy Boulevard Traffic merging right at the same time to access the westbound Selmon Expressway entrance ramp, and you have a recipe for accidents on a routine basis. The crossover is dangerous, according to Jaimie Marvon of Tampa, a regular Gandy Boulevard and Selmon Expressway Drive.
"The exit at the end of the Selmon (south) Expressway does not have any signs beforehand, letting drivers know there's a yield at the bottom of the ramp which circles around to Gandy Boulevard," said Marvon.
The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) has recently posted two new yield signs at the beginning of the circular exit ramp. In case the three signs aren't sufficient, however, Sue Chrzan, THEA Spokesperson, says bigger changes are on the horizon.
"[A]nd the second thing will happen with the Selmon Extension, when we actually finish that project, that traffic that comes off that loop will have its own right hand turn lane," said Chrzan.
Traffic patterns show the majority of eastbound Selmon exit traffic turns right at Dale Mabry Hwy toward MacDill Air Force Base. The dedicated lane will allow that traffic to transition smoothly.
The Selmon Extension will start construction in December 2017 and finish in 2020. For more information visit the THEA Project Webiste.