Driving from Tampa Airport

[FAMILY JACK]

So easy hard to go wrong

[fredflintstone]

Ok OK, I'll be honest. This is a relatively easy route and should not be a problem

BUT ...

Although I have done the route many many times...

Last year, whilst driving and explaining the route to my DD, who would be doing the route solo later in the year, I was talking the route as we drove and somehow ended up on the I275 going west not east (we often go west not east when not going to Orlando first).


Talk about embarassed , I obviously went in the wrong lane a mile or so from the airport and did not realise the lane was going west. A 15-20 miles detour over the bridge, made worse by the earache (everyone is tired and not amused and I missed happy hour at the Embassy Suites because of it ).

So be alert on the signs and make sure you tke I275 East to start with.

[scooby99]

Originally Posted by fredflintstone

Ok OK, I'll be honest. This is a relatively easy route and should not be a problem

BUT ...

Although I have done the route many many times...

Last year, whilst driving and explaining the route to my DD, who would be doing the route solo later in the year, I was talking the route as we drove and somehow ended up on the I275 going west not east (we often go west not east when not going to Orlando first).


Talk about embarassed , I obviously went in the wrong lane a mile or so from the airport and did not realise the lane was going west. A 15-20 miles detour over the bridge, made worse by the earache (everyone is tired and not amused and I missed happy hour at the Embassy Suites because of it ).

So be alert on the signs and make sure you tke I275 East to start with.

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Double post

[scooby99]

Originally Posted by fredflintstone

Ok OK, I'll be honest. This is a relatively easy route and should not be a problem

BUT ...

Although I have done the route many many times...

Last year, whilst driving and explaining the route to my DD, who would be doing the route solo later in the year, I was talking the route as we drove and somehow ended up on the I275 going west not east (we often go west not east when not going to Orlando first).


Talk about embarassed , I obviously went in the wrong lane a mile or so from the airport and did not realise the lane was going west. A 15-20 miles detour over the bridge, made worse by the earache (everyone is tired and not amused and I missed happy hour at the Embassy Suites because of it ).

So be alert on the signs and make sure you tke I275 East to start with.

See more...

I don’t think that the I275 is signposted at all as East nor West; they will be either South to St Petersburg/the bridge or North to Tampa.

OP needs to take I275 North out of TPA to get to the I4 West turn off.

[fredflintstone]

Originally Posted by scooby99

I don’t think that the I275 is signposted at all as East nor West; they will be either South to St Petersburg/the bridge or North to Tampa.

OP needs to take I275 North out of TPA to get to the I4 West turn off.

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You are of course right, I should have said I went south not north.

Its I275 North all need to head for and not the I275 south like me. Of course at the BA landing time, it tends to be flowing nicely south, but as you go along the long bridge you can see the queuing traffic going North, knowing you will need to join it 15 mins later giving more earache.

[silver_age]

Originally Posted by DisneyYoda

I found it a bit tricky getting out of airport as satnav lost the plot a bit. But once on the road it was all really easy. Nice drive to Davenport. Nothing like Miami!

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We just did this drive a couple of days ago, and the bit about the sat nav round the airport is right. We had both the built in one and Waze going and they both wanted to take us round in crazy loops. I knew from this thread that I was looking for the I275 North, so I gave up on the satnav and used the very good signs in the end. Once on the I275 they both settled down and it was a clear run.

[scooby99]

Originally Posted by silver_age

We just did this drive a couple of days ago, and the bit about the sat nav round the airport is right. We had both the built in one and Waze going and they both wanted to take us round in crazy loops. I knew from this thread that I was looking for the I275 North, so I gave up on the satnav and used the very good signs in the end. Once on the I275 they both settled down and it was a clear run.

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TPA is going through major expansion/redevelopment right now with new roads, intersections etc seemingly opening/changing week on week.

Unless your sat-nav has been updated the day before you go, it could struggle as the road may have opened/changed just days earlier.

However, always found the signage excellent.