TAMPA, Fla. – Drivers heading toward downtown Tampa or the Gulf beaches this weekend will need to find a new way onto the interstate. Starting at 11 p.m. tonight, Friday, March 13, the westbound I-4 entrance ramp from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (SR 574) will shut down completely to allow for construction.
The Florida Department of Transportation confirmed that its contractor, C.W. Roberts Contracting, Inc., needs the full weekend to complete the work. If the weather stays clear, the ramp is scheduled to be back in service by 6 a.m. on Monday, March 16, just in time for the morning commute.
In the meantime, the state has set up a specific detour. Drivers who normally use the MLK ramp will be directed to travel east on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, make a left onto 50th Street (SR 583), and then turn right onto Columbus Drive.
From there, motorists can access the westbound I-4 entrance.
Electronic message boards and temporary street signs are already being placed around the site to help navigate the detour. Officials are asking people to be extra careful while driving through the work zone and to keep a sharp eye out for construction crews working near the road.
This closure isn’t just a random repair. It is a key part of the ongoing I-4 westbound auxiliary lane project. Once finished, this initiative will add a new travel lane to the interstate between Exit 5 (MLK Jr. Blvd) and Exit 3 (50th Street), which aims to ease the chronic bottlenecking in that stretch of Tampa.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
