PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A new group in St. Petersburg is pushing to tear down Interstate I-175. They said it separates South St. Pete from the rest of downtown and Tropicana Field.
“[We're] trying to reimagine what our lives would look like as south side residents if we were reconnected to the city," Justin Cournoyer, group member, said.
Cournoyer said it disconnects them from development downtown, but he also believes it was built as a racial wall of division.
“We believe that there was intention there when they built it as a wall,” he said.
Whit Blanton with Forward Pinellas explained the history of the interstate and said racial division likely played a role in the building of I-175.
“In many cases, these highways were designed, planned and built in an era where segregation was common,” Blanton said.
That's why the group is petitioning to knock down I-175 and start fresh. Forward Pinellas is working on the request. They said they have three different routes forward they can take.
One is to convert the interstate into a boulevard with slower speeds and landscaping. Two would be to turn it into a viaduct or bridge.
“So instead of a barrier wall, it would be an elevated roadway that would allow people to walk, bike, drive and connect streets underneath it," Blanton said.
He said that option is comparable to the Selmon Expressway extension over Gandy in Tampa. The third option is to leave I-175 as is.
The big question is, can those first two options handle the traffic capacity in St. Pete? Blanton said yes.
“I think the analysis in the downtown mobility study shows plenty of excess capacity on that roadway,” Blanton said.
Another concern is how much this project would cost and where the money would come from.
“I know it's going to be expensive. The cost to take down a highway and build a boulevard or convert to a viaduct could easily be north of $20 million," Blanton said.
He said the money would come from the federal level.
This is not the first time this idea has been proposed. The difference now is there is federal money available to make the changes.
Forward Pinellas said they are still in the planning process and that this would take more research and a lot of community involvement before they decide on a plan.
