History and Context
Interstate 175 was constructed in the late 1970s as an offshoot of I-275, intended to provide access to downtown St. Petersburg and its medical facilities. However, its construction led to the displacement of over 4,000 residents, primarily from Black neighborhoods, and severed connections between downtown and the Southside.
Crashes on feeder one-way streets account for a disproportionate amount of injury and death. The highway has created physical and socio-economic barriers, contributing to economic disinvestment in south St. Petersburg, increased pollution, and diminished quality of life for adjacent neighborhoods. Today, it is underutilized at 40 percent capacity and in need of costly repairs, prompting a community-led movement to replace it with a boulevard that would reconnect neighborhoods and stimulate local economic growth.
Proposal
The city completed a mobility study of its downtown street network and labeled reconfiguration of 175 as a priority one project. From there, the MPO Forward Pinellas recommended a feasibility study and FDOT has funded an $800,000 feasibility study of different options including a viaduct, a cap, a boulevard, or leaving the highway in place. Reimagine 175 is advocating for the Boulevard option as it provides the most benefits for St. Petersburg communities.
This local campaign has met with and presented to neighborhood associations, met with innovation district, chamber of commerce, city council members, and spoke with the Rays/Hines developers that will be developing the new baseball stadium and mixed-use development adjacent to this highway. They are beginning to present at faith-based organizations and training more presenters to continue outreach.
Current Plans
For half a mile the only access to cross this road is a dangerous underpass, an aging and steep pedestrian overpass covered in barbed wire, or an overpass with narrow sidewalks. A boulevard offers the most benefit as it would allow for the street grid that once existed to be reconnected. Reclaimed land taken from black families (20-30 acres) would be able to be used for affordable and mixed-use housing development in a densely developed county facing a housing crisis. From the outset, Reimagine 175 has acknowledged the risks of displacement with the highway’s removal and has plans in place for a community land trust.
Replacing 175 with a boulevard is the only viable option to address the concerns and needs of the community. Mobility would improve as transit users and micromobility is negatively impacted by the barrier wall created by the highway, and a connected street grid would make access to economic opportunities easier for folks living south of the highway. This campaign was spurred by the availability of local government interest and financing in the form of a feasibility study and is working to ensure the boulevard option is fully considered in order to reconnect historically marginalized neighborhoods, promote economic growth, and address harmful environmental and social impacts caused by the highway.