A straighter shot to the airport

TAMPA - A smoother ride is ahead for drivers at the Tampa Airport Interchange.

On Saturday morning, a new bridge will open, linking southbound Memorial Highway traffic onto the east end of the Courtney Campbell Parkway. A new ramp from eastbound Courtney Campbell Parkway to southbound Memorial Highway is also set to open.

"Although it sounds like a lot, there will not be anything new for drivers to learn," said John McShaffrey, Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson. "They will have the same number of lanes, and exit to the right, as they do today...just a slightly different alignment."

The changes will eliminate a couple of the s-curves and should straighten out the road from Clearwater to Tampa.

The new ramps are just a small part of the $214 million construction project at the airport interchange. The project is expected to be complete by spring 2010.

For more information about the Tampa Airport Interchange project, log onto www.mytbi.com .