Here's some good news for Sarasota drivers — improvements to the Interstate 75 interchange at Fruitville Road will be done years ahead of schedule.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the change on Friday in Bradenton, crediting the Moving Florida Forward initiative.
Construction is set to start this year, with scheduled completion moved up from 2030.
"Because of Moving Florida Forward, it will be completed in 2027," DeSantis said. "So, ahead of schedule, fully funded and years ahead of where it would even have broken ground originally."
The project will transform the existing cloverleaf configuration into a diverging diamond design.
DeSantis says the new interchange will increase capacity by about 40,000 cars every day.
DeSantis also announced nearly $18 million in grants for port, rail and other infrastructure-related projects.
The grants included $6.2 million for a terminal at Port Tampa Bay that can handle an additional 500,000 tons of lime rock a year and $3.9 million for a new CSX aggregate terminal in Plant City.
Jacksonville Port Authority, Florida Gulf & Atlantic Railroad, and Capital Asphalt will also receive funds.
The supply chain projects are designed with construction and expansion of roads in mind.
“Many Floridians don’t spend a lot of time thinking about construction materials until a disruption in our ability to supply those materials impacts their community,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue.
“The transportation construction industry will be able to access these much-needed materials for our infrastructure projects that will help keep construction moving and on time.”
