Hillsborough County, Fla. (Feb. 2, 2024) - The Rocky Creek Bridge on the Upper Tampa Bay Trail is now closed in advance of the planned replacement project because the bridge was determined to no longer be safe for pedestrian use.
The Upper Tampa Bay Trail is a pedestrian and bicycle multi-use trail in northeast Hillsborough County, and no roads will be impacted by the bridge replacement.
North of the bridge, the trail is closed at Gardner Road. South of the bridge, the trail is closed just north of the Wilsky Boulevard parking area trailhead. All of the parking areas and trailheads including the Wilsky Boulevard parking lot will remain open, and residents will be able to use only the southern portion of the trail from the Wilsky trailhead.
Residents still will be able to use the majority of the trail, and the closure creates two similar-length trails on the north and the south of the closed bridge. The southern portion of the trail is more than 4 miles long from the trailhead and parking area at Memorial Highway and Montague Street to the temporary closure. The northern portion of the trail is more than 3 miles long from Peterson Road Park to the closure at Gardner Road.
The new multi-use trail bridge over Rocky Creek is expected to open in late 2025. There are no recommended detours, but the northern and southern sections both are open for residents to enjoy.
County officials were expecting to begin the planned bridge replacement and closure later this year. However, routine inspections have revealed significant deterioration of the bridge's substructure that warrants immediate closure.
Other multi-use trails in Hillsborough County include the popular Flatwoods Trail in the Flatwoods Conservation Park. Use this list to see options for biking in Hillsborough County. There are more than 300 miles of hiking trails in Hillsborough, too.