Rush hour traffic question St Pete -> Tampa

[chi_tino]

I'm going to have to disagree with the common wisdom on this one. I did this "reverse commute" for a few years between St Pete and an office near TPA.

The morning commute is fast -- really fast. I referred to the morning rush as the "Hillbilly 500". You can drive 75-80 and contractor pickup trucks and vans will pass you like you are standing still. I was able to go from St Pete to the airport in 15-20 minutes most days. Rarely does the eastbound side of the Howard Frankland jam up like it does in the afternoon rush hour.

The problem in the afternoon is just getting to the highway, and I don't know your exact address. In the afternoons, your logjam is the Veterans/275 interchange (if you are going that way), which can back up pretty bad. Once you get on 275, it is smooth (70+ mph sailing) the whole way. I rarely had more than a 30 minute commute. An hour? Maybe on a mobility scooter.

Egypt Lake to Gandy via Dale Mabry will take nearly as much time as to St Pete. There are over two dozen lights between the two and the traffic can gridlock at rush hour.

Note: if you are thinking about Carillon or Gateway instead of downtown St Pete, subtract 10 minutes from all calculations. Carillon/Gateway to TPA in the morning is easily under a 10 minute trip, even less than South Tampa or downtown Tampa.

[big_dish]

Originally Posted by chi_tino

I'm going to have to disagree with the common wisdom on this one. I did this "reverse commute" for a few years between St Pete and an office near TPA.

The morning commute is fast -- really fast. I referred to the morning rush as the "Hillbilly 500". You can drive 75-80 and contractor pickup trucks and vans will pass you like you are standing still. I was able to go from St Pete to the airport in 15-20 minutes most days. Rarely does the eastbound side of the Howard Frankland jam up like it does in the afternoon rush hour.

The problem in the afternoon is just getting to the highway, and I don't know your exact address. In the afternoons, your logjam is the Veterans/275 interchange (if you are going that way), which can back up pretty bad. Once you get on 275, it is smooth (70+ mph sailing) the whole way. I rarely had more than a 30 minute commute. An hour? Maybe on a mobility scooter.

Egypt Lake to Gandy via Dale Mabry will take nearly as much time as to St Pete. There are over two dozen lights between the two and the traffic can gridlock at rush hour.

Note: if you are thinking about Carillon or Gateway instead of downtown St Pete, subtract 10 minutes from all calculations. Carillon/Gateway to TPA in the morning is easily under a 10 minute trip, even less than South Tampa or downtown Tampa.

Thanks Chi_Tino. I was thinking Hyde Park or Westshore, and leaning closer to Westshore. Two dozen traffic lights during rush hour sounds like a hell of a lot of frustration. My office was in Harbour Island, which was a much better location from what I understand. It was just relocated due to growth. Ugh. I don't have any urge to live anywhere near Egypt Lakes- I'm a single guy looking for a social area, and from what I understand, that isn't anywhere near EL.

Do you think the traffic from Westshore to Egypt Lakes is better than St Pete?