TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Some residents in the Tampa area may have been woken up by a loud boom overnight.
The Florida Department of Transportation demolished the former Double Tree Hotel on West Cypress Street in Tampa around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday.
FDOT said it used a technique referred to as an implosion to knock down the building. Officials said they warned nearby residents about the implosion, saying that it would sound like a loud thunderstorm for a few seconds.
Traffic was shut down on Interstate 275 before the implosion.
The former hotel was demolished so FDOT could use the property as a staging area for the Westshore Interchange construction project, which will start late next year. Officials plan to fully reconstruct the interchange with a modern design by adding general use and express lanes.
FDOT said the improvements also include:
- Direct express lane connections to Tampa International Airport, Courtney Campbell Causeway, Independence Parkway, Veteran’s Expressway, towards downtown Tampa and the Howard Frankland Bridge.
- A two-lane flyover from the Howard Frankland Bridge to westbound SR 60 towards the Tampa International Airport.
- A new on-ramp from Reo Street to southbound I-275.
- Constructing the northbound I-275 general-purpose lanes and constructing a two-lane flyover from eastbound SR 60 and Tampa International Airport to northbound I-275, replacing the existing loop ramp.
- Reconnecting three local roadways under I-275 at Reo Street, Occident Street, and Trask Street to help improve local traffic circulation.
