Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced the start of a road widening project on Interstate 75 in Sumter and Marion counties.
He held a press conference and groundbreaking -- using a mound of dirt and a golden shovel -- outside the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing near Ocala.
The road widening, costing more than $540 million, will add an additional outside lane on both sides of I-75 for 30 miles from State Road 44 in Wildwood (at Florida’s Turnpike) to State Road 326 north of Ocala.
It's one of 20 congestion relief projects funded through the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative authorized by the Legislature in 2023. The projects use $4 billion in General Revenue Surplus, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
"This was something that is being accelerated by between 10 and 15 years, depending on how the schedule would shake out," DeSantis said. "And I looked at that, I saw the traffic. I'm like, I've got money in the kitty. Like, we can't wait 15 years. We gotta get going now."
Construction will start on the south end between State Roads 44 and State Road 200. The northern segment is scheduled to start later this year.
The work, including a new interchange at Northwest 49th Street in Ocala, is expected to take three to four years to complete.
A Buc-ee's is planned at Northwest 49th. DeSantis said that when he was first briefed about the interchange he didn't commit to anything.
"And then whoever was briefing me paused, kind of looked up at me and said, 'Oh, by the way, sir, if we do this interchange, they will be able to do a Buc-ee's right there off the exit. I said, 'Sign me up.'"
At the press conference, DeSantis touted the popularity of the company's huge roadside stores and gas stations and said its co-owner is "a friend of mine" and political supporter.
