MARION COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – UPDATE, 8:30 a.m.: The Florida Department of Transporation (FDOT) confirms all lanes of I-75 southbound are now open. A check of the state’s traffic cameras visually confirms that traffic is moving through the area now.

The highway headaches lasted for roughly 18 hours as crews did emergency repairs on the asphalt.

We asked state transportation officials about the cause of the issue. A spokesperson responded via email saying, “We’re still evaluating the cause. The area that needed repaired was about 15’ x 6’ but they covered a bit of a larger area in the work.”

This will be our last update on this story now that the roadway is clear.

A sight for sore eyes. Traffic that was once backed up for more than 3 miles is now moving freely. Courtesy: FL511

UPDATE, 7:40 a.m.: The road work appears to be complete on I-75 SB. A check of the state’s live cameras shows the construction equipment moved off the road onto the grassy area beside the southbound lanes at mile marker 349. That said, the traffic tie-up continues. You can see traffic still backed-up to mile marker 352.

It looks like the I-75 SB lanes are open and the construction equipment is no longer blocking the lanes. Courtesy: FL511
You can see traffic still backed up at mile marker 352 as of 7:40 a.m. Thursday. Courtesy: FL511

UPDATE, 6:30 a.m.: Just as we expected, now that there are more cars on the interstate… I-75 southbound has stacked up. We just checked the live cameras and the work crews are still blocking two lanes. Only the inside lane is open through the construction zone.

Traffic is once again backed up on I-75 SB as of 6:30 a.m. Only one lane is open around SR 200 in Marion County. Courtesy: FL511
Crews continue to work on two lanes right around mile marker 349 on I-75 SB on Thursday at 6:30 a.m. Courtesy: FL511

UPDATE, 4:14 a.m.: The road work continues on I-75. Based on the state’s traffic cameras, traffic is moving slowly through the work zone and is not backed up for miles. We suspect that has to do with the fact that there are far fewer vehicles on the road at this hour.

A view from the state’s traffic camera of I-75 southbound at mile marker 349 at 4:14 a.m. Thursday shows crews still working to repair asphalt on the middle and outside lane. Courtesy: FL511
The traffic is no longer stacked up to mile marker 350 on I-75. But that’s likely due to reduced volume at this hour. Courtesy: FL511

UPDATE, 8:21 p.m.: Interstate 75 (I-75) has been backed up for miles for roughly eight hours now. A look at the state’s live traffic cameras confirms the southbound traffic is still bumper to bumper.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says the I-75 southbound on-ramp at State Road (S.R.) 200 will be closed overnight Wednesday, April 24, and is expected to reopen by 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, April 25.

FDOT shut down the ramp at 8 p.m. as crews continued to work on an emergency asphalt repair.

Detour Information:
• Motorists traveling southwest on S.R. 200 will turn left on SW 60th Avenue, left on SW 95th Street, right on SW 49th Avenue Road, and left on County Road (C.R.) 484 to I-75.
• Motorists traveling northeast on S.R. 200 will turn right on SW 43rd Street Road/42nd Street/32nd Street, right on C.R. 475, and right on C.R. 484 to I-75.

Two lanes remain closed near mile marker 349 and should be reopened by 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, April 25.

State transportation officials say the schedule is subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.

A view from the state’s traffic camera of I-75 southbound at mile marker 349 at 8:49 p.m. Wednesday shows crews working to repair asphalt on the middle and outside lane. Courtesy: FL511
The view of I-75 southbound at mile marker 350 as of 8:21 p.m. Wednesday shows traffic still stacked up more than 8 hours after the state shutdown two lanes. Courtesy: FL511

UPDATE, 4:30 p.m.: A check of the state’s traffic cams shows traffic still backed up on I-75 southbound. This image is from mile marker 350.

Traffic is still backed up on I-75. This is an image from the state’s traffic cameras as of 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday at mile marker 350. Courtesy: FL511

ORIGINAL, 1:50 p.m.: There is a major back-up on Interstate 75 (I-75) southbound in Marion County at this hour.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) says two lanes are temporarily closed near mile marker 349 just south of State Road (SR) 200.

FDOT says the middle and outside southbound lanes on I-75 are closed while crews perform emergency asphalt repair.

FDOT says the middle and outside southbound lanes of I-75 near mile marker 349 are closed. Courtesy: FL511
A view of I-75 southbound at mile marker 352 in Marion County as of 2:59 p.m. on Wednesday. Courtesy: FL511

“This incident occurred within the limits of an ongoing FDOT resurfacing project along I-75 from the Sumter County line to S.R. 200,” said FDOT in a news release.

Authorities say you should expect delays and consider an alternate route.

The state says it’s implementing its rapid repair plan, but it does not know when the lanes will be reopened.

For real-time traffic updates, you can check Florida511, the state’s traffic website which has live cameras and interactive maps.

This is a developing story. We will update this story as we gather new information. To stay on top of breaking news in the 352, download our news app and enable alerts.