Also, Governor DeSantis signs HB 1301 to ensure Florida’s Department of Transportation is always focused on Infrastructure over Ideology
POLK COUNTY, Fla.—Today, Governor DeSantis was joined by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to announce expedited construction timelines for several “Moving Florida Forward” infrastructure projects, including the widening of I-4 in Osceola and Polk counties and the Poinciana Parkway Connector Project in Osceola County. Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ priorities, these projects are commencing 10–20 years ahead of schedule.
“Under my watch, Florida’s Department of Transportation will be solely focused on transporting people, unlike the federal government’s politicization of our national Department of Transportation,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “And because of this approach, Florida’s major transportation upgrades are fully funded and ahead of schedule, by decades. We listen to the people of Florida, and we deliver.”
“Thanks to Governor DeSantis’ bold vision, the Moving Florida Forward projects along I-4 will provide a tremendous number of improvements for nearly 200,000 travelers who have been anxiously waiting for congestion relief as commuter, tourist, and freight traffic grows in Central Florida,” said Florida Department of Transporation Secretary Jared W. Perdue, P.E. “Transportation needs to be about the movement of people and goods over political ideologies. I’m grateful we have a Governor and Legislature who are focused on delivering actual infrastructure that improves Floridians’ quality of life.”
These I-4 Moving Florida Forward projects will be constructed as multiple project segments to widen 14.7 miles of I-4 in Osceola and Polk counties from six to ten lanes, including through managed express lanes for motorists seeking to travel further distances, which reduces congestion for all motorists. The projects will also widen all road shoulders for emergency evacuations and rework interchanges to reduce backups and queuing along ramps. Projects will break ground in a cadence beginning this fall.
An additional project, the Poinciana Parkway Connector project, will also be constructed to fill a critical 2.6 mile roadway through a heavily traveled portion of Osceola County, connecting I-4, SR 429/Western Beltway, and the existing SR 538/Poinciana Parkway. Prior to today’s announcement, the project was unfunded and was estimated to begin in 2034 at the earliest. As announced today, FDOT has expedited its delivery schedule to phase the project, by incorporating 65% of the work into a portion of these I-4 projects that will break ground later this year and the remaining work in 2028.
House Bill 1301, passed this session, provides FDOT will the remaining authority to complete the Moving Florida Forward Infrastructure Initiative. Additionally, the bill cements Florida’s transportation priorities in state law to focus on reducing congestion, supporting the supply chain, promoting Florida’s quality of life, and spending transportation dollars wisely. This is in stark contrast to the Biden’s administration’s continued politicization of transportation. The bill puts infrastructure over ideology. Specifically, it:
- Institutes public meeting and voting requirements on all local and regional planning and transit agencies seeking to reduce travel lanes and force people’s behavior out of car usage or ownership.
- Increases accountability of public transit agencies through transparency and reporting requirements on the overhead and administrative costs of public transit agencies.
- Prohibits the use of state funds to illegally tint and wrap transit vehicles with political messages, like transgender symbology.
- Expands the areas of the state eligible for local and rural transportation funding to close funding gaps in fiscally constrained communities, including several communities in Florida’s heartland.
- Invests $15 million annually to Florida’s inland ports and intermodal logistics centers to ensure that goods received at seaports can be shipped and stored throughout the state.
More information on the projects announced today can be found here.
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