Tampa clearly has a wrong-way driving problem. Eleven people have died in the past eight months due to wrong-way drivers. To combat these incidents, signs are being put up Thursday at the Fowler Avenue exit ramp.
The Florida Department of Transportation on Thursday placed permanent signs on the northbound lanes of I-275. They say signs at other ramps are still to come.
“We are installing them now,” said DOT spokeswoman Kris Carson on Thursday afternoon, via the Tampa Tribune. “We still have to get power to them and we are awaiting federal highway approval.”
The signs come on the heels of a 49-year-old woman being pulled over for driving drunk and going the wrong way on the Suncoast Parkway. She thought she was heading north on I-75 heading home.
The flashing solar powered sings cost $8,800 to install and are 600 feet south of the intersection.
Additional ramps, including Bearss and Fletcher Avenues, can also expect signs.