After two years of financial wrangling, the Florida Dept. of Transportation hopes to start construction on a one-mile-long, $600-million elevated connector road in Tampa in 2009. The link between Interstate 4 and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway, dogged by rising material costs and right-of-way issues, will take 6,000 trucks daily off local streets, traveling to and from the Port of Tampa. The Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, which operates the expressway, will provide $45 million after a “gentlemen’s agreement” was struck last week. Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise will fund $80 million and FDOT will cover the rest. The trio must now work out the tolling structure, preliminary engineering and bonding options for the estimated four-year project.