OCALA, FL (352today.com) – Thirty-one miles of Interstate 75 will be widened in Marion and Sumter Counties. Officials from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) joined leaders from both county commissions to make the announcement on Tuesday.
The auxiliary lanes will be added from State Road 44 to State Road 326. According to FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue, the construction is set to begin in the spring of 2025.
Perdue also announced the plan to widen U.S. 301 from County Road 470 to Florida’s Turnpike between the cities of Sumterville and Wildwood. Perdue says that project will begin in the fall of 2025 and is intended to increase the roadway capacity, respond to future travel demand, improve overall safety, and accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.
“We look forward to making these projects become a reality. These projects are going to bring the needed relief and we are really excited to get those projects started,” said Perdue.
This is part of the ‘Moving Florida Forward’ Infrastructure Initiative that prioritizes and accelerates construction around the state in an effort to keep up with population growth in the state.
The focus of the project in Marion County is to relieve traffic and help eliminate the number of accidents that occur on I-75.
“Every day there is over 100,000 vehicles that pass-through Marion County and Ocala on I-75, 25,000 of those are trucks and tractor trailers. Unfortunately, on average for about every nine days that section or road either north or south is shut down due to accidents,” said Marion County Commission Chairman Craig Curry.
According to Lt. Patrick Riordan with Florida Highway Patrol, one lane on I-75 is closed every 16 hours due to crashes for an average of three hours. He says he looks forward to the positive changes this will bring not only for citizens, but law enforcement as well.
“I hope that not only does it improve the lives of the residents, the visitors, but also increases the safety of our members that are out there day in and day out,” said Riordan.
For more information regarding the initiative, you can visit FDOT’s website.
