Finalists Selected For New Planned $814M Tampa Bay Bridge

By Richard Korman

Howard Frankland Bridge. png — An artist's rendering of a section of the planned new bridge across Tampa Bay. Image: Courtesy of FDOT

Howard Frankland Bridge Project

Shortlisted Firms Phase 1 Score

Archer Western - Traylor Bros. 16.4

Granite - Boh 18.8

Kiewit - Massman 16.2

Other Phase 1 Competitors

2020 BRIJ Group 14.8

Florida selected three joint-venture finalists to build the $814-million Howard Frankland bridge, a long causeway structure across Tampa Bay, late last month.

The competitors had an opportunity to score a possible 20 points in the first phase. A team of Granite Construction Co. and Boh Bros. had the highest Phase 1 score, 18.8. Another team, Archer Western and Traylor Bros., scored 16.4; Kiewit and Massman Constructors scored 16.2.

The Florida Dept. of Transportation will pay each of the shortlisted competitors a $1.5-million stipend.

A fourth competitor, BRIJ Group, consisting of Lane Construction Corp., Johnson Bros. Corp., WGI, Hardesty & Hanover and Volkert, failed to make the short list. It was given a Phase 1 score of only 14.8.

Phase 2 involves the technical proposal and has a potential 80 points, split about evenly between design and construction.

The project calls for construction of a 5.8-mile causeway bridge between Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, for southbound and westbound traffic. The existing southbound/westbound bridge will be converted to the new northbound/eastbound I-275.

Technical proposals are due in early August and price proposals are due Oct. 8 with final award anticipated a month later, according to FDOT’s project website.

Deputy Editor Richard Korman helps run ENR's business and legal news and investigations, selects ENR's commentary and oversees editorial content on ENR.com. In 2023 the American Society of Business Publication Editors awarded Richard the Stephen Barr Award, the highest honor for a single feature story or investigation, for his story on the aftermath of a terrible auto crash in Kentucky in 2019, and in 2015 the American Business Media awarded him the Timothy White Award for investigations of surety fraud and workplace bullying. A member of Investigative Reporters and Editors, Richard has been a fellow on drone safety with the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Richard's freelance writing has appeared in the Seattle Times, the New York Times, Business Week and the websites of The Atlantic and Salon.com. He admires construction projects that finish on time and budget, compensate all team members fairly and record zero fatalities or serious injuries.