$578M initiative for I-75 congestion relief in Lee and Collier counties

Reporter: Amy Galo Writer: Matias Abril
Published: Updated:

The Moving Florida Forward Initiative is dedicating $578 million to congestion relief on Interstate 75 from Golden Gate Parkway in Collier County to Corkscrew Road in Lee County.  

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced this on X on Tuesday.

This project will be completed 10 years ahead of schedule.

It will widen 18.5 miles of I-75 and add one lane in each direction and auxiliary lanes, increasing the roadway by 6 to 8 lanes in parts.

FDOT said that this will reduce travel times by an estimated 47%, increasing traffic operations efficiency and enhancing the safety and quality of life for communities in Southwest Florida.

But is it truly a fix?

We asked Florida Gulf Coast University civil engineering professor Dr. Claude Villiers exactly that.

“We have the growth. You get the construction all over the place. We need to do something, and at an immediate, widening, that’s the best solution that I can think of, to do it right now, and it’s so needed now because it’s coming. It’s coming very fast,” Villiers said.

Construction will begin in 2026.

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