Ashley Drive closure starts today in Downtown Tampa | News

Tampa, Florida -- If you travel around Downtown Tampa, a new road closure could cause you some headaches. Starting Monday, Ashley Drive will be closed at Polk Street.

For three weeks, Tampa Street has been closed in this same area. Monday, Tampa Street will be open, but Ashley Drive will be closed.

The closure's happening at Polk Street -- the street that intersects Ashley Drive right by the Glazer Children's Museum and the Poe Parking Garage. Polk runs between the two towers of Element and Skypoint.

CSX is replacing the railroad tracks that run down the center of Polk Street, and the work will continue until around May 27th.

If you'll be driving through Downtown Tampa, you have basically three scenarios:

North on Ashley Drive 
Just after you pass Kennedy Boulevard, you'll be detoured along Madison Street and sent north on Florida Avenue.

South on Ashley Drive 
If you're coming south, you'll be detoured at Cass Street over to Tampa Street to keep driving south.

Coming off Interstate 275
Don't turn south on Ashley Drive in the first place; skip Ashley and take Tampa Street or Morgan Street south to get into downtown.

As people adjust to new routes, the City of Tampa has pledged to adjust the timing of the traffic signals downtown.

That should help keep people moving, but it'll take a few days to establish those new patterns.

So the city's warning everyone to brace for some congestion and confusion to start off the week.