Tampa Skyline Logo To Replace Pirate As Face Of Crosstown

Adios, Pirate. Hello purple skyline.

The Selmon Crosstown Expressway is saying goodbye to the mishmash of signs directing motorists to the 15-mile toll road, including the grinning pirate.

They'll be replaced by a new logo depicting Tampa's skyline in purple and a green-and-gold highway winding its way toward the city. Underneath are the words: "Selmon Expressway."

"We wanted it to be more distinguishable and have a more consistent message," Don Phillips, vice chairman at the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority, said of the change during an unveiling at the authority's headquarters today. "We wanted one prevailing theme and style."

Football great Lee Roy Selmon, 53, who attended the ceremony, said he was humbled when the road was named for him in 1996.

"This brings back memories," he said of the dedication. Jokingly, he added, "I only wish I could be new and updated as well."

Board members presented him a newly minted Selmon Expressway sign framed in green.

The new signs gradually will replace missing or older, dinged-up signs. If funding is available, the authority might replace all of them in about two years.

Agency officials aren't sure how many signs that comes to or the total cost. A typical 2-by-3-foot sign runs about $170.

Hundreds of older signs are on display on Tampa-area highways, including some with a pirate and some with a bridge graphic. "I also think there's one with a cross," authority spokeswoman Sue Chrzan said.

The aim of the new logo is to create a single, noticeable, easy-to-read sign, she said.

Working with consultant Quest Corporation of America, the authority conducted surveys in December at the Channel District in downtown Tampa and at a mall in Orlando to narrow the field from four signs to one.

"Customers were asked two questions: Which one they like and which one they see better," Chrzan said.

The Florida Department of Transportation approved the new sign in March. The expressway authority gave its final OK today.