Florida 618 Toll encircles the Tampa central business district from Adamo Drive (Florida 60) west to the Hillsborough River. Drivers along the elevated Crosstown Expressway are afforded unobstructed views of the various downtown area skyscrapers. Photos taken 08/20/06.
Westbound drivers cross the Hillsborough River north of Seddon Channel and Davis Islands. Exit 5 constitutes a half-diamond interchange with Plant Avenue and the parallel Brorein Street. Hyde Park and Plant Avenue act as a pair of one-way streets between the Davis Boulevard bridge over Hillsborough Bay and the Tampa interior. Some signs along the Crosstown Expressway were changed between August and November of 2006. Photos taken 08/20/06 & 11/08/06.
Looking north at the Hillsborough River with the Bank of America Tower, Park Tower, and Rivergate Tower rising to the east. Photos taken 08/20/06.
Exit 5 departs immediately west of the Hillsborough River crossing to the intersection of Brorein Street west at Plant Avenue north. Hyde Park Avenue travels south from Florida 60 (Kennedy Boulevard) to the Davis Boulevard bridge to Davis Islands one block to the west. Photos taken 08/20/06 & 11/08/06.
The Crosstown Expressway western main line toll plaza lies between Exits 5 and 4. All passenger vehicles are levied a $1.00 car toll (75 cents for SunPass account holders). Since this is an older plaza, only one SunPass-dedicated lane is in use that is nothing more than a converted toll-booth lane. Photos taken 08/20/06 & 11/08/06.
Just west of the toll plaza is the Exit 4 diamond interchange with Willow Avenue. Willow Avenue travels south to Bayshore Boulevard and north to Chestnut Street. Willow Avenue provides the last east connection to Florida 60 (Kennedy Boulevard) before Florida 618 Toll branches southwest toward Palma Ceia and MacDill A.F.B. Photos taken 08/20/06 & 11/08/06.
Westbound at the Exit 4 diamond interchange with Willow Avenue. The Willow Avenue exit serves the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city. Florida 60 (Kenney Boulevard) intersects the north-south street nearby; Bayshore Boulevard, a controlled-access arterial, meets Willow in one half mile. Photo taken 08/20/06.
Turning southwest along the CSX Railroad line toward MacDill A.F.B. and the Port of Tampa. An older style Tampa Crosstown Expressway trailblazer remains in use along the mainline beyond Exit 4. Photo taken 08/20/06.
The Crosstown Expressway westbound next meets Bay To Bay Boulevard via a partial interchange at Exit 3. Bay to Bay Boulevard does just what its name infers, traveling cross-Peninsula between Old Tampa Bay (West Shore Boulevard) and Hillsborough Bay (Bayshore Boulevard). Photo taken 08/20/06.
Exit 3 loops to Bay To Bay Boulevard from Florida 618 Toll westbound at the Palma Ceia Park neighborhood of south Tampa. Bay to Bay Boulevard ends at Bayshore Boulevard adjacent to the Crosstown. Westward, the east-west road meets U.S. 92 (Dale Mabry Highway) at Palma Ceia and Manhattan Avenue near Sunset Park. Photo taken 08/20/06.
A short distance south of Exit 3 is the Exit 2 half-diamond interchange with Euclid Avenue. Euclid AVenue meets the Crosstown Expressway near the Bayshore neighborhood of Tampa. Photo taken 08/20/06.
Exit 2 ascends to over the adjacent CSX Railroad line abruptly before lowering to Euclid Avenue just east of its intersection with Himes Avenue. The ramp curvature is unusual as the real estate is tight between the freeway mainline and adjacent residential areas. Use Euclid Avenue west to Manhattan Avenue and Sunset Park and east to MacDill Avenue near Bayshore. Photos taken 08/20/06.
The final exits of Florida 618 Toll westbound separate traffic interests to U.S. 92 (Gandy Boulevard) westbound to Port Tampa (via West Shore Boulevard south) and St. Petersburg and Gandy Boulevard eastbound to junction Florida 573 (South Dale Mabry Highway) and MacDill Air Force Base. U.S. 92 follows Dale Mabry Highway south from Drew Park and West Tampa to Gandy Boulevard at Florida 618's western terminus. Photo taken 08/20/06.
A pair of Expressway Ends signs advises motorists of the Florida 618 Toll ramps to U.S. 92 and the somewhat premature end of the Crosstown Expressway. The end is premature in that the highway was originally envisioned to continue west along Gandy Boulevard to the Gandy Bridge over Tampa Bay. The logical connection would provide a needed limited access crossing between south Tampa and St. Petersburg. Instead Gandy Boulevard comprises a congested four-lane commercial arterial from Dale Mabry Highway west to the new Newport condominium community on Tampa Bay. Photo taken 11/08/06.
Florida 618 Toll passes over U.S. 92 (Dale Mabry Highway) ahead of its half-cloverleaf interchange with Gandy Boulevard and Dale Mabry Highway. U.S. 29 follows the commercial arterial of Dale Mabry Highway north to junction Florida 580 (Hillsborough Avenue). Gandy Boulevard carries the federal highway west across the Gandy Bridge to junction Florida 694 & 687 at Fourth Street North in St. Petersburg. Gandy Boulevard east ends at Bayshore Boulevard near the Brigantine Community. Dale Mabry Highway south carries Florida 573 from U.S. 92 to MacDill A.F.B. Photo taken 11/08/06.
A pair of cloverleaf ramps lie south of U.S. 92 (Gandy Boulevard) west of its turn onto Dale Mabry Highway. The Lighthouse Bay Apartments front the interchange immediately on the south side, reinforcing the end and any notion that the Crosstown would continue west to St. Petersburg. The Gandy Bridge itself lies 2.5 miles west of Florida 618 Toll near Rattlesnake Point on Tampa Bay. Photo taken 08/20/06.
