HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – The opening of a new road is relieving congestion in southern Hillsborough County.
The Apollo Beach Overpass, a four-lane divided highway, connects US-301 and US-41.
“This is a very vital alternate east-west corridor that’s going to provide congestion relief for vehicles that need to travel back and forth across I-75,” said Jason Boulnois with Hillsborough County. “You’ll see a big impact to Big Bend Road as well.”
According to Boulnois, the $20.4 million project took 18 months to build.
Plans for the overpass have been in the works for decades.
“I think we have positive feedback from community members because of the congestion relief,” Boulnois explained. “That’s the biggest thing the community looks for is congestion relief down in south Hillsborough County.”
He says similar projects are necessary as more people move to the area to accommodate additional drivers.
The road’s name is Paseo Al Mar Boulevard.
It’s translation means “Walk to the sea.”
A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Friday morning at 9 a.m.
The road will open shortly after the event.