FDOT to hold virtual public meeting about I-75/Colonial Blvd. improvements

The Florida Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public meeting to discuss improvements to the I-75 and Colonial Boulevard interchange.

Officials will provide information and answer questions from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 21, online at www.swflroads.com/i75/atcolonialblvd/.

Crews are working to build what is known as a “diverging diamond” interchange, which officials say will enhance access to I-75, “as well as improve overall safety, increase capacity, and facilitate emergency evacuation within the County.”

I-75 will also be widened to provide an auxiliary lane in each direction from Colonial Blvd. to SR-82/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and emergency stopping sites at the Colonial Blvd. interchange and the northbound off-ramp at SR-82. Other improvements along Colonial Blvd. include a Continuous Flow Intersection (CFI) at the intersection of Six Mile Cypress Parkway/Ortiz Avenue and a Redirected Crossing U-Turn (RCUT) intersection at the Colonial and Forum boulevards intersection. Construction cost is $52.7 million and completion is expected in mid-2024.

For more information visit the project website at www.swflroads.com/i75/atcolonialblvd/ and follow the project on Facebook and Twitter.