This is a production of WEDU PBS, Tampa, St.

Petersburg, Sarasota.

[music] Coming up, ten counties, millions of people and hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure projects.

We're taking a closer look at key bridge and highway projects.

The region's top leaders from the Florida Department of Transportation are here with details, and you'll see how artificial intelligence is part of their workflow.

That's next on this special edition of Florida This Week.

[music] Welcome back everybody I'm Lissette Campos.

Transportation is an issue that impacts everyone.

The capacity and safety of our bridges and highways are consequential to more than 5 million residents in Tampa Bay and west central Florida.

Our state's highway system falls under the Florida Department of Transportation.

So with so many major infrastructure projects in various phases, we've invited district seven Secretary Justin Hall and Interim District 1 Secretary Jamie Driggers for the latest developments.

Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming in and talking to us.

We picked the projects, the FDOT projects that impact the most number of people.

Let's start with key bridge projects.

More than 200,000 vehicles use the Howard Franklin Bridge daily.

This one bridge serves more people in one day than the Courtney Campbell Causeway, Gandy Bridge, and Sunshine Skyway Bridge combined.

The expansion of Howard Franklin started in 2020.

So, Secretary Hall, I'd like to start by asking you which phase we're in and what can we expect.

So everyone can see the big bridges come out of the water, so it's really cool.

Right now what we're working on is demoing the old bridge, the 1960s bridge, and we're finishing up the express lanes, which will be part of a big connection between downtown Tampa and downtown St.

Pete, and finishing the multi-use trail on the bridge.

What is the capacity that we that we now have after the first phase?

And what is the ultimately the capacity that we want once it's completed the whole project.

So the ultimate capacity would be about a 50% increase on the bridge right now, what you're seeing is about the same number of lanes that we had before, but with wider shoulders to provide better access for emergency vehicles.

Anytime there's a crash.

Right, what are some of the challenges that you all have faced during the the construction of the Howard Franklin?

Well, building a bridge in the water in hurricane season.

Anytime we've got to pull the barges off, we put them together.

It's about 11 acres when the barges are attached together.

And the other thing is chert.

It's a rock down at the bottom of the bay.

It's harder than granite.

Didn't even know that existed in Florida, but it caused a real problem for us and challenge on the job.

So the original Howard Frankland is a very old bridge dates back to the 60s.

Uh, the equipment and the materials that were used then and now are, are very different, vastly different.

Talk to us about the steel.

Yeah, so just the amount of steel in the bridge is enough to build a nuclear submarine.

So when they bring that up to us, we're like, wow, that's huge.

So a nautilus nautilus class submarine, we could build it with the steel we've got in there.

Oh my gosh, I wanted to make sure we have time to talk about the key projects in district one.

Um, there are two bridges that are going to be replaced.

These are strategic bridges of the Cortez Bridge connecting Manatee and Sarasota, and the DeSoto bridge that connects Hernando and DeSoto counties.

Secretary Driggers, why the why these specific two bridges to replace.

Each of these bridges provide critical connectivity for the community, with the Cortez Bridge currently servicing 15,000 vehicles a day and the DeSoto bridge, servicing over 65,000 vehicles per day trips.

So the Cortez, let's talk a little bit more about the Cortez Bridge.

This is a drawbridge that goes over Sarasota Bay.

Um, what are the benefits of replacing this this drawbridge?

We want to be proactive as an agency to make sure we can maintain that critical connectivity.

Um, so replacement looking at the at the current operation and in the future, um, the bascule bridge they operates, it's driven by an activated, uh, raise whenever we have a boat traffic.

So the future bridge will be a fixed span with a 65 foot vertical clearance, which will allow continuous movement of the vehicles as well as the navigation of boat traffic underneath.

And how does this really affect mobility in the region?

You said that there are strategic reasons for replacing this particular bridge.

Yes, the bridge today is because it's a bascule bridge.

It's is very high, high maintenance cost and the operation costs as well.

So from a long term longevity we reduce that that long term objective.

And then we'll also because we're we're not impeding traffic on the bridge because of boat navigation.

It will allow continuous operation for both both modes of travel.

You've used the word bascule.

What does that mean?

Bascule is a is a type of drawbridge.

So it's activated by an individual there on the bridge monitoring 24/7 as the boat cuz the operation of the bridge and individuals having to raise and lower that that bridge.

So the new replacement bridge will eliminate all of that.

Absolutely, It'll be it'll be a fixed span with a 65 foot vertical clearance to allow continuous movement of both operations.

So tell us about the DeSoto bridge.

This one is over the Manatee River.

And I understand that first responders in particular are looking at at this because they want an outside shoulder, which you all are planning to build.

A lot of folks would be surprised to know that it doesn't.

It wasn't built with one in the first place.

Absolutely, the new bridge, the footprint of the bridge will have a ten foot inside shoulder.

Two 12 foot lanes, a 12 foot outside shoulder.

A barrier separator with a 12 foot shared use path for bicycles and pedestrian service on both in both directions.

So for both of the DeSoto and the Cortez Bridge.

Where are we in the phase of execution?

Is the public still have the opportunity to participate in feedback providing ideas?

The business community.

The Cortez Bridge we expect to go to construction in the summer of 2026, the DeSoto bridge.

We are still early in the process.

We've got a few years.

We are absolutely looking for public input, community input.

There will be multiple opportunities for that.

We value the opinions of the community and we're looking forward to those engagements.

When where can folks go for information on those public meetings?

Our website, www.SWFLRoads.com.

So folks can go to the website for information on the dates and times and the locations of those public meetings.

Absolutely, not only for these these two bridges in particular, but also other projects of interest.

It's a great opportunity to access information on our road projects.

Before we go to the next segment, which is on highways, I just want to take a little extra time on the bridges.

There's such a vital part of our life here in Tampa Bay.

So if I, I'd like to end this particular segment by asking, you know, how the wear and tear affects the bridges?

So many of our viewers may not understand what's going on with the salt water, with the, the, the, the amount of the increased amount of vehicles that are going the heavier vehicles.

Talk to us about that in each of your districts.

If you could just give us an example of what is really eating away at those bridges.

Sure, I mean wave action.

So even just daily wave action, but wave action during a hurricane, you know, we all saw last year, you know, Debbie, Helena, Milton.

Those all took quite a toll on the bridges that we have across the bay.

Also, just being in a corrosive environment, the salt water, you know, it eats away at the steel.

And what a lot of people don't know is when the steel rusts, then the concrete pops off the steel.

So it's a really interesting process.

It is all chemistry, but there are ways to combat that.

And we do the best we can with cathodic protection.

But you can't stop everything.

So it's a constant battle.

We always say we're fighting Mother Nature every day with our bridges, but we do the best we can, you know, to maintain them.

And I will tell you this, every one of our bridges has exceeded their lives.

So if we thought it was a 50 year bridge, it's there.

Now, in the 70 years, some of our 75 year bridges there, they're crossing into, you know, the 80 or 90 years.

So we're constantly seeing in Florida that our bridges are exceeding their useful life.

And, Secretary Driggers, I mean, in your district, you've got these old drawbridges.

How does Mother Nature affect those?

Many of the same points just shared a corrosive environment, increased growth in demand for utilization.

All those things have an impact on the lifespan of our structures.

As Justin alluded to, we have a very a profound inspection program where we continually maintain and invest to make sure that things are safe and and in full opportunity of operation.

There are no surprises.

Absolutely.

Okay, Hurricane response is also a big part of the mission of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Secretary Driggers, I'd like to ask you about that.

When the hurricanes come and the aftermath, how does the department work on those situations?

Absolutely, we're very appreciative of our partnerships, not only in the district do we respond.

We also rely on our other other districts, you know, supporting us as well, of course, other states.

Um, we had three major impacts, one being the Pine Island Access Road.

We're very proud we were able to restore access in three days of 24 over seven operation.

We also had the Sanibel Island access, the emergency repairs and then the permanent, which we're proud were just just completed that and we're actually going to win a national award, National recognition there.

And then we had the State Road 789 sand deposition.

We ultimately had five pile, five foot pile high, five foot high piles of sand.

We ultimately removed 60,000yd , partner with the county to clean the material, and then restore the beaches and the dunes with the material as well.

To see the devastation in Sanibel was really dramatic.

Um, tell us about the work that was done there.

Once again, just 24 over seven operation.

Um, the task at hand was to get those emergency service providers, you know, actively engaged in, in the on the ground.

And we worked hand over hand.

We brought other, other partners in.

It was just a 24 over seven to get it done.

Deliver the mission.

And district seven had the same amount of work when it came to Helene and Milton.

Um, how was that?

How did FDOT workers come in and participate in that?

Yeah, so we had help from many of our different districts and as well as for other states.

And it was funny, both storms were very different and I'm sure everybody here loved them.

Knows that Helene was a very big water event.

Um, a lot of flooding in the coastal area.

And believe it or not, that led to like a mission between the storms because Helene came, caused a lot of damage.

Then we had Milton coming to the same area.

So we actually ran a 24 over seven operation between the storms, actually collecting the debris, getting it out of the streets, because what people didn't realize is they were just trying to recover from Helene.

And what we were doing was actually creating projectiles by putting couches and refrigerators out by the street.

So the governor authorized us to run 24 over seven, which was huge, and we pulled about 150,000 cubic yard of material off of the barrier island before Milton got there.

And then Milton hit, and it was a big power event.

You know, we lost power to 600 different signals.

And so we had to have 600 generators out there being refueled around the clock for over a week, waiting on power to be restored.

So a totally different storm, right?

Big storm, totally different response.

But the same thing.

We had folks from the Panhandle that were down here to help us right away and other states.

And between the two storms, we moved about a half a 1,000,000 cubic yards of material between sand and debris and all.

And just to give you a perspective, if anyone drove by the Florida State Fairgrounds during it, they saw the mountains of debris.

And yeah, 500,000yd is enough to fill up Raymond James Stadium.

So and so many of our viewers would be will be surprised to learn that it's the Florida Department of Transportation that's engaged in that kind of work.

Any lessons?

What would you say is the biggest lesson learned for your district after all of the hurricanes?

Every storm, every experience is an iterative opportunity.

I'm not only are we looking at how we can do better at the past event, we're also looking at proactive solutions.

We're looking at opportunities to armor our roadways, our shoulders so we can prevent undermining of our roadways, basically, make it through the storm so that we can put our attention into those those areas that may need more, more energy and effort to respond.

It listen, it's the best thing that we do.

I always say that the, the greatest mission of the DOT is being able to get out there and respond, and we are the first ones out there.

So we always joke.

We're like, it's us in the sheriff, you know, that are out there.

And really though, a lot of times, like on Gulf Boulevard, we had to clear the sand for the ambulances to get through.

So, you know, really our mission became a priority.

And it brings a lot of, a lot of joy, like to be able to say that you helped people.

And I tell you what, I, I love my job for that.

The shoulders you both talked about the importance of the shoulders on the roadways and on the bridges.

Um, what can our community do to prevent those shoulders from being misused?

So first off, you know, if there's an evacuation order, leave.

Um, don't wait until the last minute.

I'm sure everyone tells them that.

Because what we have to do, if we don't, we have to use something called emergency shoulder use running.

And that actually allows people to use the shoulder to get out.

The problem is, some folks wait till the last minute.

They they don't have their gas tank full, they run out of gas.

So then they block the shoulder.

And so really just getting out early, you know, and you don't have to go far.

That's what we try to explain to everybody.

Like if you're on the barrier island, if you just get to the mainland, you're going to be good.

And so that's one thing we tell everybody, you don't have to go too far.

Just just be ready to get off the barrier island.

Pivoting now to highway projects FDOT district seven covers Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties within our viewing area.

Then District 1 covers Polk, Manatee, Sarasota, Hardy, and DeSoto.

Secretary Driggers, let's start with you.

Tell us about the major projects that you have happening in your district.

In terms of the highways, the expansions are pretty intense.

Absolutely, we have a section of State Road 70 in Manatee County that's currently being expanded from a two lane existing road to a four lane to add additional capacity and safety metrics.

And we also have an interchange on I-75 at US 301.

That's in late stages of completion that we're very excited to have open and enhance operations in the area.

Tell us a little bit more about that one.

The US Highway 301 and I-75.

Um, the interchange is quite vast.

What are the improvements that you all are making there and why?

Absolutely, so we're converting the interchange from a, a, a loop configuration to a tight diamond, which is more operationally efficient.

We've actually built two bridges to to separate the exit ramps from the mainline.

We've done some widening on the interstate and additional pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements as well.

Just to give you some facts of, we've installed as part of that project, 41,000 linear feet of piling for the bridges.

Piling.

11,000 cubic yards of concrete just for the bridges.

And then we wrap up with 4.8 million pounds of structural steel just to support the bridge alone.

That's incredible.

What about State Road 70?

Um, you said that traffic congestion is the real driver behind this project.

Absolutely, just growth in the area we look at.

We look at the demand of today and the demand in the future.

And we recognize that we have to address those growing the needs and demands to come.

So we are taking the road from a two lane roadway to a four lane.

It will have sidewalks.

All the pedestrian bicycle amenities improves.

We're actually installing roundabouts.

There are seven locations which are much safer.

We've got seven of those.

In addition to the widening efforts.

How big an area are we talking about?

The roundabouts are, as you can imagine, pretty pretty big surface area.

Most of those are 300 foot plus, you know, diameter roundabouts right?

Overall the project length is over five miles.

Oh my gosh, so pivoting over to what's happening in District 7, the Westshore Interchange is one that a lot of folks in the business community have been talking about.

Tell us about what is going on there.

Absolutely, so sheer magnitude, it's over $1 billion of construction.

It's a key connection between we talk about the express lanes going from downtown Tampa to downtown St.

Pete into the airport.

And so that's the center cog of that entire interchange.

And just a really cool statistic.

There's enough concrete in that interchange when it's when it's finished and complete to build two and a half Empire State buildings.

It's really interesting to hear you all go with all of these facts.

It's not information that the general public would normally think about.

Another big, big aspect of this is that it is the largest project for FDOT in the history of the state of Florida.

It's the it's a new it's a new record.

So it's always fun.

Now, mind you, I always say records are made to be broken and we got a lot of big projects in the state.

But as of right now it is.

What are some of the challenges that you all have, are preparing for or have already faced with this one?

Sure, I mean, obviously just working in a in a congested environment, you know, there's a lot of traffic.

So trying to safely move people through a construction zone and still provide access to obviously we can't sever access to the airport.

We can't reduce capacity on the interstates.

just working in a tight environment.

Specifically, how are you addressing issues of safety?

Sure, so some of it's speed limit, we reduce the speed limit in the construction zone.

Or we're working with law enforcement to educate folks driving through the construction zone about being safe and make sure they understand the signage.

And really, we're using some unique technologies to communicate with the everyday driver through their cell phones or whatever means or method they're using.

Tell us about that.

Yeah, so it's it's something called geofencing.

So if you drive into the area of the network, it'll send a message to you.

The message may be as simple as, you know, be careful.

There's construction in the area.

It could also send a message that says, you know, maybe it would be better to use Himes today.

You know, based on a detour.

So just giving information to the traveling public.

The other major highway that we all use is I-275, and you all are making key changes in in the Pinellas County area.

Tell us about what is happening from Fourth Street north to south of the Gandy Boulevard?

Yes, so that's adding an additional express lane.

So if you drive that corridor regularly we already built one express lane with the gateway project.

This is finishing out that express lane network as well as building a trail.

And I'll tell you what's really cool about that trail.

And we talked about Howard Franklin and West Shore.

All the trails on those jobs connect.

So you actually will have an ability to go from Pinellas County all the way to the other side and connect to trail networks in Hillsborough County.

This is part of a funding project that was started by the DeSantis administration, the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative.

And how does this play into that larger project?

Yeah, so this is one of the projects that was part of the governor's announcement, and it really advanced this project by more than ten years.

So, you know, when we talk about infrastructure, talk about congestion, the DeSantis administration took an immediate approach and advanced several projects, and this was one of them.

Tell us about what is going to be done for pedestrians and bicyclists, that that community is growing in the Tampa Bay area, and there's always an interest in serving their needs as well.

Absolutely, so in addition to the trail that we're building, there's connections at Fourth Street Ulmerton.

Ulmerton road, which is really important because there's an old road trail.

And so really just making sure that both if you're on the trail or if you're on the roadways that connect under or over the interstate, that there's safe facilities.

And we're doing all that with this one thing.

It's called leading pedestrian interval.

That's something that we're adding, which gives the pedestrian the ability to start moving before the traffic signal turns.

So they have the ability to get out safely into the crosswalk before any traffic starts moving.

So one of the things that I've, that I've heard both of you talk about is the different aspects that you're looking at on the projects.

It's not just about counting cars, right.

And so my question to both of you is how are you when you design these projects?

How do you get input from the business community, from the general public?

I'll start with you, Justin.

So I'll say there's several opportunities so early in the phase when we're doing planning, we have public hearings.

Um, we we bring in as many people as we can.

We do a lot of stakeholder meetings.

I know for me, on the West Shore Interchange, I've met with the West Shore Alliance, which is a business district, and really just getting out there and having the conversations, uh, making sure that you're giving presentations as often as possible and really just letting everybody know that you're available to talk if they have any questions or if they'd like to provide any feedback.

And, Secretary Driggers, you've alluded to that in the prior segment, that you've got the public meetings that are planned for the bridges conversations.

Those are something that you do for other projects as well.

Absolutely, in addition to we partner with our planning organizations and elected officials to develop priorities.

And from the early starts, all the way through public engagement, it's key aspect of everything we do in delivery of our projects.

So if viewers have a concern or they have something that they want to share, they should contact their local officials because chances are they meet with the Florida Department of Transportation.

When you all are researching these projects.

Absolutely, yeah.

So we're going to move over now to artificial intelligence, which is it seems like artificial intelligence is permeating so many aspects of everyday life, and that includes our roadways as well.

AI is helping FDOT conduct what they call smart traffic counts.

I'd like to ask both of you about that AI.

It doesn't seem like it would be an FDOT helper, but it is, right?

Absolutely, we we look for any opportunity to be efficient.

Um, specifically in the areas of administrative, um, AI is a very good resource to to look at data and draw attention to the human eye, specifically when we look at traffic patterns specific to emergency responders.

Obviously, when we have a storm coming in, we want evacuation to be efficient on the on the return home, and we're able to look at traffic patterns before they get to our areas and predict when we're going to see staging, staging and congestion and those things.

So we're able to partner with our emergency services responders, and we're also able to resource if we need to utilize emergency shoulder use or any of those things to support evacuation.

That's just one example of of the many opportunities that we've applied.

And so many of us are used to seeing that FDOT employee in the middle of the road or on the side counting.

How does AI change that?

So it's a huge safety benefit for us.

So, you know, it used to be you start off you had the clicker right there out there counting cars.

So then we had to have people go out there and put the tubes.

I'm sure everybody's driven over the tubes before.

And so now this is just the latest progression.

We put a camera up.

The computer is actively reading the counts and providing the data to our staff.

So it keeps my staff out of harm's way.

And it also prevents any kind of negative interactions between vehicles and our staff, which is great.

How do we what are the safeguards, though, with AI so that bad actors cannot take charge and do something very dangerous with that?

The department's policy on AI utilization is very robust.

Um, once again, it can be utilized for an administrative opportunity to draw attention to anomalies or things that we need to react to.

But at the end of the day, a human decision point is made based on that queuing.

Our policy is very, very specific on how we can utilize the technology.

Peer procurement is another area where the business community has shared with us on the show.

Florida this week how AI is actually a helpful tool for them.

Is procurement also an area that AI at FDOT is being used?

Absolutely, we spend a lot of put a lot of resources into administratively looking through procurement documents.

This is a way to once again pull out those anomalies.

If there's a if there's a need to disqualify, it draws the human eye.

Instead of reviewing, say, ten documents, you know, the hour of time for each document, it automatically alerts you to those discrepancies, so you're able to be more efficient in your decision making based on that response.

Well, thank you, gentlemen, so much for coming in and making time for us in your busy schedules with all of these projects.

Our thanks again to FDOT District 7 Secretary Justin Hall and FDOT district one Interim Secretary Jamie Driggers.

We know we packed a lot of information on the region state highway system into this one episode, but we want you to know you can refer back to it any time or share it directly from the Florida This Week web page and our social media accounts from the entire team here at WEDU.

Thanks so much for watching.

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