The southbound I-275 Exit 25 ramp to 38th Avenue North closed on October 5, 2026. The Florida Department of Transportation expects it to reopen in mid-December, weather permitting. If you live in Allendale, that ramp is the last turn on the drive home from the Howard Frankland. By the last week of October it has been gone for more than three weeks, and about seven more remain.
The orange signs show only the detour. Behind them, FDOT is rebuilding the interchange Allendale will use for years. The exit that serves as the detour is also slated for an upgrade. And the agency's most recent closure of this kind, two exits north, reopened inside its estimate.
The signed detour ends on the far side of the interstate
FDOT's posted route sends southbound drivers past Exit 25 to Exit 24 at 22nd Avenue North. From there it goes west on 22nd Avenue North, then north on US 19, which is 34th Street North, back up to 38th Avenue. The agency has published a detour map showing the loop.
According to the Council of Neighborhood Associations, Allendale Terrace runs from 7th Street North to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, between 34th and 38th Avenues North, plus Foster Hill Drive North. That puts it east of the interstate. The signed detour finishes west of it, at 34th Street. The route is built to get every driver who used Exit 25 back to 38th Avenue, wherever they are headed. For a neighborhood on the east side, that means it delivers you to the wrong side of the interchange you are trying to get past.
What the ramp comes back as
FDOT's closure flyer says the southbound Exit 25 ramp is being widened to provide additional vehicle storage. Storage means room for cars to queue on the ramp itself. When the signal at the bottom backs up, a longer queue stays on the ramp and off the interstate.
The ramp is only one part of the interchange work. A 2025 FDOT re-evaluation document lays out the planned layout for 38th Avenue North:
- Widening along 38th Avenue North, to both the north and the south.
- Two left-turn lanes from westbound 38th Avenue onto southbound I-275.
- Two left-turn lanes from eastbound 38th Avenue onto northbound I-275.
- Two through lanes in each direction on 38th Avenue.
That document describes the planned configuration, not finished work. Its third item matters most to Allendale. Heading toward Tampa from the neighborhood means driving west on 38th Avenue and turning onto northbound I-275, and at 38th Avenue that turn is planned to double.
The Whole Foods Market at 201 38th Avenue North sits on the same stretch of road. Widening that road is what links the store, the neighborhood and the on-ramp.
The detour exit is on the rebuild list too
The same re-evaluation covers Exit 24 at 22nd Avenue North, the exit now carrying the detour. FDOT plans to widen the east side of the southbound exit ramp there to add a left-turn lane and a right-turn lane. The planned result is two right-turn lanes onto westbound 22nd Avenue and two left-turn lanes onto eastbound 22nd Avenue.
Allendale's two nearest southbound exits are being redesigned together. The same pattern repeats at both: more turning capacity where the ramp meets the street, so traffic waiting to leave the interstate backs up less onto the main lanes.
Why mid-December is a credible date
The closest benchmark is the ramp closure that just ended at the next exit north, on the same project.
| Exit 26 to 54th Avenue N | Exit 25 to 38th Avenue N | |
|---|---|---|
| Closed | Night of April 9, 2026 | October 5, 2026 |
| FDOT's estimate | Summer/fall 2026 | Mid-December, weather permitting |
| Reopened | September 11, 2026 | Pending |
The 54th Avenue ramps were closed for five months and reopened inside the window FDOT gave. The Tampa Bay Times reported that the rebuilt southbound exit there opened on September 11. The same story carried the mid-December estimate for Exit 25. The 38th Avenue closure is planned at about two months, much shorter than the work at 54th. A shorter job, run by the same contractor under the same contract, after a closure that finished on schedule, is the strongest evidence available that the ramp will be back before the holidays. FDOT's own condition still applies: weather permitting.
The larger project, and where it stops
Exit 25 is one stage of a much longer build. According to FDOT's project page, the I-275 widening covers 7.5 miles from north of 38th Avenue North to north of 4th Street North. It costs $340 million, began on August 11, 2025, and is built by Prince Contracting, LLC. The estimated completion is late 2030. It adds two tolled express lanes in each direction between north of 38th Avenue and south of Gandy Boulevard. It also modifies the interchanges at 38th Avenue, 54th Avenue, Gandy Boulevard and Roosevelt Boulevard. The new lanes will connect to the express lanes already open on the Howard Frankland Bridge. The Times reported that those lanes began charging 50 cents one way in August.
For Allendale, the more local detail is the project's southern limit. FDOT says noise barriers will be built from north of 38th Avenue North to Gandy Boulevard. The open house map shows two types: 8-foot barriers along the shoulder and 22-foot barriers at the right-of-way line. Allendale Terrace lies south of 38th Avenue. The planned walls begin north of the neighborhood's northern boundary street.
The work schedule continues past December. FDOT's construction guidance says lane closures are planned overnight, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Occasional ramp closures may run from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., and the work can bring noise, vibration and lighting impacts. Nearby, FDOT lists around-the-clock right-lane closures in both directions on 62nd Avenue North under the overpass through approximately December 2026. The project page offers email alerts for anyone who wants closure notices before the signs go up.
Between now and mid-December, close to home
While the ramp is closed, much of the neighborhood's November calendar is reachable on surface streets. Allendale Park, 3.1 acres set aside for nature and outdoor activities, sits at Dr. M.L.K. Jr. Street North and 36th Avenue North. The Aldi at 3327 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North is a few blocks south.
These dates fall before the ramp's estimated reopening:
- Friday, November 6, 6:30 p.m.: Charity Drag Bingo at Allendale United Methodist Church, with 10 games for a $10 donation and proceeds going to charitable causes.
- Sunday, November 8, 3 to 8 p.m.: The Council of Neighborhood Associations' Neighborhood Shuffle Showdown at the St. Petersburg Shuffleboard Club, 559 Mirror Lake Drive North. Allendale Oaks is on the roster, no shuffleboard experience is required, and neighborhoods compete for the Mae Hall Trophy.
- Wednesday, November 11, from 5 p.m.: A community Thanksgiving potluck at Allendale United Methodist Church. It is open to everyone, and bringing a dish is optional.
The church keeps its current listings on its events page, and details can change before the date. By the time the potluck plates are cleared, the ramp's estimated reopening will be about a month away.
Infrastructure work like this affects more than the commute. It shapes how buyers judge access and how a home's location reads on a listing sheet. If you are thinking about timing a move around the new interchange, Kelli Welch can walk you through what the 38th Avenue work could mean for your home. Let's Curate Your Next Move.
