TODAY: Howard and Armenia Exit Ramp on I-275 Switching Sides

Starting today, commuters headed southbound on I-275 will notice a change in the usual traffic pattern.

The exit ramp to Howard and Armenia avenues - exit 42 - will become a left lane exit instead of a right lane exit.

"That's the big change," said John McShaffrey, spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, "and that's what we really need to get across to people."

The exit swap is part of a $215-million highway reconstruction project facilitated by the Florida Department of Transportation that will cause a southbound shift in traffic from North Boulevard  - south of the Hillsborough River - and Himes Avenue, according to FDOT officials.

The exit to Himes Avenue - 41C - will continue to be a right exit ramp, with the exit point becoming closer to Himes Avenue, officials said.

The project - which is being contracted by Skanska-Ajax Joint Ventures and engineered by Parsons Brinkerhoff - should be finished by 2016, McShaffrey said.

While traffic statistics released by FDOT estimate about 11,500 vehicles per day use the Howard and Armenia exit ramp, the construction project is necessary to improve sight distance, provide a flatter roadway and decrease accidents, according to FDOT's design plans.

"We are completely rebuilding the southbound lanes, and along with that, there will be more lanes as we rebuild," said McShaffrey. "It will go from three lanes in each direction to four lanes."

How will the project effect your commute? Tell us in the comments.