A newly constructed diverging diamond interchange at SR 574 (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) over Interstate 75 in Tampa opened to traffic over the weekend as construction finishes throughout the project. The traffic through the interchange will be in an interim phase while project construction finishes. The DDI is part of the ongoing improvements to I-75 from SR 574 to Interstate 4 in Hillsborough County. Construction is estimated to be complete in summer 2025.
“The anticipated benefits of this interchange will increase vehicle capacity and pedestrian safety while reducing traffic delays and crashes,” FDOT said in a statement. “These benefits will be achieved by an increased number of lanes, improved pedestrian facilities, more efficient signal timings, and reduced vehicle conflict points.” The DDI was designed to eliminate difficult left turns and keep motorists from having to cross oncoming traffic, which creates fewer potential points of collision.
Motorists utilizing the interchange will cross SR 574 from the right side of the roadway to the left side of the road. Traffic will continue through the interchange and then cross back to the right side of the roadway. The design allows for more effective signal timing, which reduces delay times and enables the interchange to effectively handle higher volumes of traffic.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the interchange opened at roughly 6 p.m. on July 28, and traffic has flowed seamlessly thus far. The I-75 ramp reconfiguration and interchange modification project began in August 2019, FDOT said. The roughly $89.7 million project includes the new DDI and the construction of a new two-lane northbound collector-distributor roadway east of the current northbound travel lanes. Traffic entering and exiting northbound I-75 at SR 574 and I-4 will use the new CD roadway.
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