BARTOW, Fla. – Governor Ron DeSantis visited Bartow on Thursday with Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Purdue to announce several projects that have been accelerated because of the ‘Moving Florida Forward’ initiative.
What we know:
DeSantis announced that some projects will be done 10-15 years early because of the initiative. They said they are expanding parts of I-4 in Hillsborough County, adding 17 miles of new lanes along I-4 near County Line Road.
The governor said, “this increases reliable traffic flow and gives people a better option to get from Tampa to Central Florida and vice versa.”
This project was not supposed to start until 2037, so it’s getting accelerated by a decade.
Other Projects:
They are also adding a new truck parking facility in Polk County near I-4 and the Polk Parkway interchange. They are adding one hundred additional parking spots for transporters along the I-4 corridor.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue explained, “Governor Ron DeSantis is focused on keeping the supply chain healthy, and we can be resilient through any challenges.”
The Governor also added that they have just announced an expansion of the I-275 express lanes in Pinellas County, which will make a big difference between Tropicana Field and the Howard Frankland Bridge.
Related: FDOT begins I-275 widening project in Pinellas County, adding express lanes
What’s next:
Another major project coming to Polk County includes air mobility testing, so essentially an air version of an Uber.
“These are things with small wings, go straight up, and run on battery power,” Gov. DeSantis said. “They are designed to go inside sixty miles, so if you want to go from Tampa to Disney, you can vertiport over there.”
They said while they’re in the early stages, they will be able to do this at the SunTrax testing facility which is not far from Bartow. They called it the nation’s first advanced air mobility test track, which will have dedicated airspace and research and development.
Secretary Perdue added, “Florida, we hope will be the first place they start flying and could have an impact on I-4 if successful.”
He explained that approval from the federal government should come sometime next year.
The Source: FOX 13 gathered this information from a press conference from Governor Ron Desantis and FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue.