The first interchange along northbound Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County is Exit 240, Junction Florida 674 west to Ruskin via College Avenue and east via Sun City Center Boulevard to Sun City Center, Wimauma, and Fort Lonesome, terminating at Florida 37 in Polk County. Most of Interstate 75 through Hillsborough County has at least three lanes in each direction. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75/Florida 93A reaches Exit 240, Junction Florida 674. Use Florida 674/College Avenue west to connect with U.S. 41/Tamiami Trail in Ruskin. To U.S. 301, use Florida 674/Sun City Center Boulevard east. Florida 674 has an interchange equipped for a multi-lane divided highway (partial cloverleaf) but it has not been widened to that configuration yet. Two exits for Florida 674 (one for each direction) are present along southbound Interstate 75. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 246, Junction Hillsborough County Route 672/Big Bend Road. Hillsborough County Route 672 follows Big Bend Road west to meet U.S. 41/Florida 45 midway between Apollo Beach and Gibsonton near the Big Bend Coal Power Plant. Use U.S. 41 south to Apollo Beach and U.S. 41 north to Gibsonton. Heading east, Hillsborough County Route 672/Big Bend Road connect to U.S. 301, which parallels Interstate 75 between Sarasota and the vicinity of Temple Terrace/Thonotosassa. The county route turns south on U.S. 301 then continues east via Balm Road, connecting to Balm before terminating at Hillsborough County Route 39 in Picnic. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The primary exit from Interstate 75 northbound to Gibsonton and Riverview is via Exit 250, Gibsonton Drive. Gibsonton Drive extends west to meet U.S. 41/Tamiami Trail in Gibsonton and east to U.S. 301 just south of Riverview. After Exit 250, Interstate 75 gains an additional lane, providing for four northbound lanes. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 254, Junction U.S. 301. U.S. 301 is a major north-south corridor, originating in Sarasota and extending north to U.S. 40 in Delaware. All told, U.S. 301 serves several major Southern Cities, including Tampa, Jacksonville (via a connection on Interstate 10), Florence, Fayetteville, and Richmond. U.S. 301 then skirts the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, passing through Annapolis en route to Delaware. At one time, U.S. 301 ended in Baltimore rather than near Newark, Delaware, but that routing was changed after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge opened. Maryland 3 and Interstate 97 cover the former route of U.S. 301. Through Florida, U.S. 301 offers an alternative to Interstate 4 and U.S. 17 between the Tampa Bay Area and Jacksonville, as it avoids Orlando. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 254, Junction U.S. 301 north to Palm River and south to Riverview. U.S. 301 is multi-lane and divided through this area. A fifth northbound lane is now present along Interstate 75. Traffic counts increase dramatically along Interstate 75 as it enters the Tampa metropolitan area. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound Interstate 75 is Exit 256, Junction Toll Florida 618/Leroy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. The right two lanes, which were introduced to the freeway after Exit 250, become exit only. Even though the exit ramp extends for nearly a mile parallel to Interstate 75 until reaching the trumpet interchange with Florida 618, through traffic may not use this exit to remain on northbound Interstate 75. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 256, Junction Toll Florida 618/Leroy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. Use the three left lanes to continue north on Interstate 75 and the two right lanes to exit onto westbound Toll Florida 618/Selmon Crosstown Expressway. Florida 618 is a major route into downtown Tampa, with connections to the Tampa Port, downtown financial district, westshore area, U.S. 92/Gandy Bridge over Old Tampa Bay, and MacDill Air Force Base via Florida 573. Originally, Florida 618 was an extant freeway that did not connect to the Tampa freeway grid, but it was extended in 1986 to connect with then-nascent Interstate 75. Other freeway connections to Toll Florida 618 were cancelled, except for the Interstate 4/Crosstown Connector, which would connect Toll Florida 618 with Interstate 4 along the west side of 31st Street. This project is intended to take more trucks en route to the Port of Tampa away from surface streets in and around Ybor City; the project is planned for construction in 2009 or 2010. The link is planned as a toll road, possibly as part of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, because funding for the project is derived partially from federal and state sources and also from the turnpike. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Until 2002, Toll Florida 618 was only signed as the Crosstown Expressway with a blue trailblazer, which was adopted in 1976. The blue trailblazer is a representation of Jose Gasparilla, a local pirate legend. In the 1970s, a contest was sponsored to make a logo for the road, as it was not succeeding as well as was projected. The Gasparilla sign won, perhaps because it was the only entry. However, with the significance added to the route number as well as the name (which is in line with most other Florida toll facilities, Florida's Turnpike mainline and HEFT excepted), the Toll Florida 618 sign is accompanied by a new white shield, which includes the name "Selmon" in it and a colored area in the background that is a graphical representation of the elevated highway as it courses through Tampa. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound Interstate 75 is a collector-distributor lane that connects to Florida 60/Brandon Boulevard east and Florida 60/Adamo Drive west. Through traffic may use this lane if needed, since this collector-distributor lane picks up traffic from Toll Florida 618/Crosstown Expressway. West of here, Florida 60 enters unincorporated Brandon via Brandon Boulevard, then enters rural eastern Hillsborough County. As a major east-west highway, Florida 60 continues into Polk County, connecting to Mulberry (Junction Florida 37), Bartow (Junction U.S. 17-98), and Lake Wales (Junction Alternate U.S. 27/Florida 17). Heading southeast from there, Florida 60 continues past the Indian Lakes and intersects Florida's Turnpike/Florida 91 in a remote area, near Yeehaw Junction. From there, Florida 60 crosses Interstate 95 and terminates at U.S. 1 in Vero Beach in Indian River County. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Now on the collector distributor lane, this sign shows where through traffic may return to the mainline via a left exit. The two right lanes exit onto Florida 60/Brandon Boulevard. Florida 60 originates at a roundabout in Clearwater Beach, near Pier 60. From there, it extends east through the city of Clearwater and across Old Tampa Bay via the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Connecting with Toll Florida 589/Veterans Expressway near Tampa's westshore (see Westshore Boulevard for more), Florida 60 passes through downtown via John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Adamo Drive, with connections to Business U.S. 41/Florida 685 (North Florida Avenue/North Tampa Street couplet), Florida 45/North Nebraska Avenue, Florida 585/21st Street and 22nd Street couplet, Florida 569/39th Street, and U.S. 41/Florida 599/50th Street. East of downtown, Florida 60 intersects Interstate 75. The area around the Port of Tampa and Ybor City is congested, and alternatives include Toll Florida 618/Leroy Selmon Crosstown Expressway or Florida 60/Adamo Drive. During commuting hours, the toll road can be congested, and Adamo Drive may be faster. At other times, the freeway may be the faster alternative. The two roads almost overlay each other in some areas, since Toll Florida 618 is on a viaduct that occasionally rides on top of Florida 60/Adamo Drive. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next interchange along northbound is Exits 260A-B, Junction Florida 574/Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Florida 574 heads west across northern Tampa, ending at U.S. 92/Florida 600/Dale Mabry Highway and east to U.S. 92 (again) near Plant City. This is not to be confused with Hillsborough County Route 574/Broadway/7th Avenue, which heads westsouthwest toward downtown from Mango. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 260A, Junction Florida 574/Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard east to Brandon, followed by a loop ramp to westbound Florida 574 (loop ramp, Exit 260B). Note the use of the "shotgun" Florida 574 shield with the extended panhandle that seems to extend much further west than Pensacola. This is because the shield used to haev an "S-" prefix in front of the number "574." This was likely done to alleviate confusion with Hillsborough County Route 574, which was previously signed as "C-574." Given this explanation, the shield is not related to an overzealous sign shop official who was helping Florida to regain its former "Florida Parishes" (the Florida Parishes are the counties in southern Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana that used to extend along the Gulf Coast from Pensacola west to Baton Rouge; today, this areas are part of their respective states and not part of the state of Florida). Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound Interstate 75 is Exit 261, Junction Interstate 4. Interstate 4 is the main east-west corridor across Central Florida, connecting Tampa Bay with Lakeland, Orlando, DeLand, and Daytona Beach via secret Florida 400. An extremely busy route, several parts of the corridor are urbanized to some degree, but miles of rural pastoral and agricultural land still remains. Use the right lane to exit onto east and west Interstate 4. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The right lane exits only onto Interstate 4; the lane widens to two lanes and then splits into one lane for eastbound and one lane for westbound. This interchange between Interstate 4 and Interstate 75 is a symmetrical directional interchange (called a "Catherine Wheel" interchange by Kurumi). Photo taken 12/29/03.
After Interstate 4, Interstate 75 next meets Florida 582/Fowler Avenue at Exit 265. The right lane becomes exit only onto Florida 582. Use Florida 582 west to Temple Terrace and the University of South Florida (USF) and east to U.S. 301 and Thonotosassa. This is the last exit on Interstate 75 to U.S. 301/Fort King Highway, an alternate route to Ocala. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 266, Junction Hillsborough County Route 582A/Fletcher Avenue west to North Tampa and Junction Hillsborough County Route 579/Morris Bridge Road northeast toward Pasco County (Zephyrhills and Dade City) parallel to U.S. 301. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 266, Junction Hillsborough County Route 582A/Fletcher Avenue west and Hillsborough County Route 579/Morris Bridge Road northeast. Photo taken 12/29/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 270, Junction Hillsborough County Route 581/Bruce Downs Boulevard, one mile. This highway is locally known as "BBD" and can be very busy, especially during commute hours. An east-west divided highway (not freeway) located midway between Hillsborough County Route 581 and Interstate 275 is proposed to alleviate 581/BBD. For more on this project, visit Interstate 275 City of Tampa East-West Road Interchange Project. The new interchange for this road would be along Interstate 275, midway between Bearrs Avenue and Florida 56. Hillsborough County Route 581 heads southwest toward Tampa, culminating at Florida 580/Busch Boulevard. Heading northeast, Hillsborough County Route 581 parallels Interstate 75 into Pasco County, culminating at Florida 54 near Interstate 75 Exit 279. Photo taken 12/29/03.
Northbound Interstate 75 reaches Exit 270, Junction Hillsborough County Route 581/Bruce Downs Boulevard. After this interchange, Interstate 75 rejoins Interstate 275, and the freeway continues into Pasco County. Photo taken 12/29/03.
