Tampa Commute Question (St. Petersburg: contractor, moving to, cars)

[mr2764]

Soon to be moving to Tampa/St Pete. Wife to attend USF St. Petersburg and my job is in Tampa next to the Airport. The picture below shows my proposed commute. What should I expect for drive times between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning and afternoons between 4:00 and 5:00 on the return trip? Your responses are greatly appreciated.

[chi_tino]

I did this almost exact commute for the last several years. Before 7 am you will be traveling at an average speed of 70+ mph, so you can go from downtown St Pete to the airport/Rocky Point in about 20 minutes. I call it the Hillbilly 500 with all of the contractor pickups doing 80 to get to their jobs -- if you attempt to go slower than that you will be run off the road.

Your 4-5 pm commute will be slowed down by four variables. While it is theoretically possible to do the return in 20 minutes, you have to factor in:

- Twice as many cars as the morning commute
- Southbound Veterans/Memorial (Rte 60) traffic as it approaches 275, depending on where you get onto 60/275
- Any smash-em-up on the Howard Frankland (I saw four separate accidents today on the bridge at 4:30 pm)
- A well-attended Rays game

I'd plan for a 25-30 minute return trip under most circumstances, with significant delays every so often. About twice a year they will close the bridge due to a horrific accident -- I always pack a book and a bottle of water in the car.