Major Road In Tampa Closing

There is a major road in Tampa closing today. If you drive in and around the Northeast part of the county, you're going to need to give yourself some extra time in the next couple of days. Hillsborough County officials are closing Morris Bridge Road today (Thursday 8/08), This is because of all the rising water that is flooding parts of the county.

The water level is rising on the Hillsborough River and until the water starts to recede, Morris Bridge Road will be closed. This is a major road in Tampa closing. Thousands of cars travel on this road to get to 75 from Fletcher. Morris Bridge Road will be closed between High Meadow Avenue and Corey Lakes Boulevard and will remain closed until the water recedes. The County encourages residents who use the roadway to plan for an alternate route.  Not only that, plan to spend more time in traffic as other routes will be backed up due to the higher volume of traffic.

Detours around the closure have been posted to help rivers navigate around the closures. Message boards are in the area urging caution when water is in the roadway. 

The county has also opened up the Tampa bypass canal. This was activated to prevent flooding in Temple Terrace and Tampa. Southwest Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) activated the bypass canal North of Morris Bridge Road and east of I-75 at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

SFWMD says that opening of the bypass canal will stop part of the flow of the Hillsborough River before it reaches Temple Terrace and Tampa. The water is instead stored in an empty reservoir known as the (Hillsborough Flood Detention Area (HFDA).

According to the National Water Prediction Service, the Hillsborough River at Morris Bridge is currently at 31.29 feet. It is expected to peak at 32.40 feet on Friday, which is considered minor flood stage. So, it sounds like it could re-open soon, if the water recedes, but time will only tell.

The water in the Hillsborough river could take a week to recede.

We all know how bad the traffic is here in Florida.Whether it's a biker weaving through traffic on the 275 or some nutjob riding the shoulder at rush hour blowing past emergency vehicles at 95. It’s confirmed, Florida has 6 of the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States.

A new report was recently released by ConvoyCarShipping.com listing the deadliest counties for traffic fatalities in the United States. The report says the team “sought out the U.S. counties with the highest rate of traffic fatalities between 2017 and 2022 using data from the Fatalities Analysis Reporting System (FARS).” And, is based on the Forbes Advisor ranking for the cities with the worst drivers. 

Out of the top 20 counties in the country, Florida claims 6 spots which is more than any other state in the US. With one person killed in a car accident every 12 minutes, there are about 40,000 deaths per year involving traffic incidents throughout the country.

Convoy split the deadliest counties into 4 different categories. They focused on population sizes of (0-19,999), (20,000-149,999), (150,000-499,999), and (500,000+). For the purposes of our list, we’re highlighting the 6 counties within the highest category of 500,000+.

Not only did they find the deadliest counties for traffic in the United States, but Convoy also included the deadliest major US highway or interstate within each county during the five-year period. Just a few weeks ago, we shared a Forbes list of the cities with the worst drivers in the country and once again, Florida cities made the cut.

Earlier this year, there was a fatal accident on East Bay with two people dying. A man was driving through Largo, Florida at 92 miles per hour when he struck a vehicle in the intersection killing the two passengers in the car he hit. 

Drivers have gotten so bad around Tampa Bay that law enforcement has started to use completely unmarked vehicles. The Mustang GT, Toyota Camry, Toyota Rav 4, and more everyday civilian vehicles are being used to blend in to catch dangerous drivers.

Volusia County was the 1st overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 579,192

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 648

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 11.19

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 82

Polk County was the 4th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 787,404

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 675

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.57

Deadliest Road In County: US-27 & SR-60

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 70

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 608,794

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 515

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.46

Deadliest Road In County: US-19

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 112

Duval County was the 6th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,016,536

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 830

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 8.16

Deadliest Road In County: US-90

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 91

Hillsborough County was the 16th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 1,513,301

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 1,069

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 7.06

Deadliest Road In County: US-41

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 101

Pasco County was the 5th overall deadliest county in the U.S. For traffic fatalities.

Population Size: 630,693

Total Number of Fatalities from 2017-2021: 435

Rate of Traffic Fatalities per 10,000 People: 6.9

Deadliest Road In County: US-1

Number of fatalities on the deadliest road from 2017-2021: 96