Florida officials say Interstate 75 around Ocala has some of the worst traffic in the state. But drivers may see relief in coming years.
Gov. Ron DeSantis broke ground Tuesday on $541million project that will add more interstate lanes in the area.
“That obviously is a big win for people,” DeSantis said at a news conference at Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala.
The project, expected to last several years, will widen more than 31 miles of I-75, from Wildwood in Sumter County to State Road 326 in Marion County. A lane will be added in each direction.
DeSantis noted that the stretch of road was “one of the most used — if not the most used — tourist corridors,” but added the expansion would also help during hurricane evacuations.
DeSantis said it was happening 10 to 15 years ahead of schedule, funded through the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative. The initiative was created during the 2023 legislative session using $4 billion in state surplus funds.
That money has led to other expedited projects. Some of those include adding express lanes along I-4 in Polk and Osceola counties, improving the I-75 interchange at Fruitville Road in Sarasota and redesigning the Golden Glades I-95 interchange in Miami-Dade County.
DeSantis also said Tuesday that work had begun on an I-75 interchange in Ocala off Northwest 49th Street. That's where a new location of Buc-ee's is slated to open.
“It's like the Shangri-La of service stations,” DeSantis said of the popular chain, while noting the project will have a “major economic impact."
This story was produced by WUSF as part of their statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
