Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced new infrastructure projects aimed at improving the state’s highway system on Tuesday.
The upgrades are part of his Moving Florida Forward Initiative, which seeks to improve transportation conditions for residents and visitors of the Sunshine State.
At a press conference located at Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, the governor broke ground on a project to expand I-75.
The highway expansion will include added lanes and changes to road designs to ease traffic volume.
DeSantis said the state will add new lanes between State Road 44 and State Road 326. He also unveiled plans to build an interchange on the exit of Northwest 49th Street in Ocala, along with a Buc-ee’s at the site.
The governor also announced changes to some of Florida’s other highways. The state plans to add express lanes to both I-4 and I-275. A redesign of the Golden Glades interchange in Dade County’s I-95 route is also in progress.
DeSantis says the money invested in the campaign initiative will benefit Floridian’s daily commute.
“Our total investment in infrastructure over the next five years is going to be almost $70 billion,” DeSantis said. “That’s reducing congestion, improving safety, and addressing the future need.”
DeSantis says the improvements in Florida’s highways will reduce travel delays by 85%.
Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue accompanied the governor at the press conference.
He said the upcoming industrial expansions will positively affect the economy for residents.
“It’s going to create tremendous growth, not only with Buc-Cees coming to town but there’s a ton of industrial development planned,” Perdue said. “It’s going to create thousands of jobs and it’s going to have over a $2 billion economic impact.”
DeSantis said the state would have delayed highway system upgrades without the Moving Florida Forward Initiative.
The Florida governor said the campaign has been able to move efficiently because of the state’s economy.
“I think it’s important to reflect that this groundbreaking would have happened in 2035 or 2036 had we not done our Moving Florida Forward Initiative,” DeSantis said. “Part of the reason we are able to do it is because we’ve had a strong economy, we’ve been wise with your money.”
Florida’s Department of Transportation received a budget of 4 billion dollars for construction efforts related to the campaign in 2023.
State officials expect the budget to exceed $68 billion by 2028.
DeSantis said construction for the highway projects is expected to be completed between 3-4 years.
24 Responses to “DeSantis announces changes to Florida’s highway system”
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Wish they would three lane I 10 East of Tallahassee to Jacksonville. At least up to I 75. The traffic that direction is getting crazy too.
More roads more traffic. Fact
Cause and effect you’ve got it backwards
With all the homes being built 17 & 92 highway is 2 lanes through Davenport and Hanes City . They should have fixed these roads 10 to 15 years ago , replace all people on the planing board an the rest who would be involved an fix this problem
Hwy 27 is a nightmare, no matter which direction you’re going…and they just keep building more apartments! The drive on 17/92 from Poinciana to Osceola Polk Line Rd sometimes takes an hour! People keep treating the intersection of Old Tampa Hwy and 17/92 like a 3 way stop, instead of through traffic just being able to drive through…they should just go ahead and put in a light. There are always accidents at the intersection of Poinciana and Old Tampa Hwy because people driving trying to turn left through the intersection toward Home Depot (with a green light, NOT a green arrow) can’t see past the line of vehicles trying to turn left onto Old Tampa to head toward Davenport. Then they pull out in front of cars who are driving straight through with a green light. They should have red arrows there…maybe save some lives🤷♀️🙏
When is Florida going to 4 lane Rt 60 through Osceola County? It’s one of the few east-west highways in Florida.
What about some of our unlaced rural streets?
There’s no reason not to have Bright line Rail go from Clearwater Beach to Tampa then Orlando. Just do it.
Please NO more Diamond exchanges. The one at I75 and Colonial in Fort Myers is a disaster! We had a perfectly good cloverleaf but now we have a nightmare! Traffic is backed up worse than ever! It’s dangerous! HUGE mistake and a very costly one. In theory it should work but it doesn’t. It made the the intersection dangerous and added so much more traveling time. Just because you have money to spend doesn’t mean you should.
There is a stretch of land from Tampa to Orlando in the middle of I-4. How around an HOV or Train? The backup to Disney is 15 miles long every day at all hours of the day. Asian countries doing it right, when will we catch up?
Surprise, Surprise. No money for the panhandle. There is an entire region of Florida that gets ignored.
Why doesn’t desantis give credit to the infrastructure bill Biden got passed with bi-,, partisan support for the road work he’s proposing?
desantis will never give credit for the money from the Democratic government under President Biden though Pete Buttigieg, Department of Transportation. Reminder, trump has cancelled some of the money for infrastructure during President Biden’s time.
Have DeSantis share his plan with Nikki Haley, south Carolina, that states roads lead to hell
Have DeSantis share his plan with Nikki Haley, south Carolina. That is the worse state ever to drive through. The state hasn’t improved its roads since horse and buggy
Golden Glades interchange in Northern Dade is the worst design intersection in the world. If you’ve never been through it, try sometime going from 836 to I 95 north.
And why not spend a few dollars fixing the train from Jacksonville to New Orleans so you don’t have to go to Washington DC to get out of the state by train
Please please Governor: look into improving traffic in Bonita Springs, specifically to Hickory blvd in Bonita Springs beach. It is a nightmare. Only one lane in each direction and very heavy traffic going and coming from Fort Myers beach. We need some kind of bridge between 41 and Estero blvd to get are the traffic. It takes a 49 minutes to drive 5 miles from the island to 41. Please please
My suggestion is to put a patrol stop at the State Lines into Florida by motorists and motorcycles. It’s getting to be like a Foreign Country and overcrowding/overbuilding. If it keeps up at this pace our ‘Florida natural land’ will be gone. Control and fix what we have now before it’s too late. ⏰
Who is the construction company doing the I-75 project thanks
Brightline train fares are ridiculous. Not enough stops for central & east coasts.
Love this reporter! They always give the best and most interesting news like this one. Can’t believe Ron would do this.
Melbourne is getting so crowded and traffic is beginning to look like Miami. Please make a station / stop in Melbourne for the Brightline train. Also, stop building apartments in Melbourne. The infrastructure cannot handle it!!
The Golden Glades is not any better than it was. They should of had a lane to continue without having to merge out into 441. Are stepping for the money spented just to do the same crap as it was done before. No Bueno, No Good.
Governor, wouldn’t investing more in public transportation be a great way to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and enhance the overall quality of life for our citizens?