Our Commitment to Tampa Bay
THEA is known for creating beautiful and innovative transportation solutions. Like our award-winning Selmon Extension and the Selmon Expressway’s Reversible Express Lanes (REL).
THEA also owns Meridian Avenue and Brandon Parkway. These serve as feeder roads to the REL while, at the same time, providing a beautifully landscaped pedestrian path, thus accommodating all modes of transportation.
Working in partnership with Neighborhood Associations, we’ve also worked to help improve underpasses in adjacent neighborhoods, including Swann Avenue, Morrison Avenue, Mississippi Avenue, and MacDill Avenue.
Selmon Extension
The award-winning Selmon Extension is a 1.9 Bridge built in the median of Gandy Boulevard. It allows a choice for local residents and regional travelers: use Gandy Boulevard for local destinations or use the Selmon Extension for a direct connection to the Selmon Expressway or the Gandy Bridge.
The $230 million superstructure was built twice as high as a normal bridge (30′) to allow for greater visibility for the business along the Gandy corridor.
Artistic Rendering
Current View
Artistic Rendering
Current View
REL
The REL was the first-ever reversible express lanes using all-electronic tolling in the world. Transportation experts from around the country and world, including China, Singapore, Spain, and Canada, have visited Tampa to learn more about our lanes.
Our Reversible Express Lanes (REL) are a unique facility. The Selmon Expressway is the first road in Florida to address urban congestion by combining the innovations of concrete segmental bridges, reversible express lanes, and all electronic tolling. Like many urban areas, purchasing the additional land needed along this corridor for typical highway widening was neither physically nor financially feasible. To minimize the footprint of the Selmon Expressway, most of the project was constructed as a concrete segmental bridge using only 6 feet of space within the existing median.THEA is exploring using this same building technique for the Selmon Extension.
The REL provides a direct connection between Brandon and downtown Tampa, allowing for express travel of people in cars and buses. It is an innovative project that has won approximately two dozen awards of recognition by local, state, national, and international organizations.
Artistic Rendering
Current View
Meridian Avenue
Artistic Rendering
Current View
Meridian Ave. Circa 1999
Current View
Brandon Parkway
Artistic Rendering
Current View
