I-4 widening in Polk County will begin construction in 2024, Gov. DeSantis announces
POLK CITY, Fla. - Governor Ron DeSantis spoke in Polk City on Wednesday, announcing progress in the ‘Moving Florida Forward Initiative’ to widen I-4 in Polk County.
According to DeSantis, 14.7 miles of I-4 widening from US-27 through Champions Gate to the Osceola Parkway will begin construction in 2024.
"There are some places in this country, maybe even in Florida, that you don't have traffic except in rush hour," DeSantis said. "Well, some of these I-4 spots, it doesn't matter; you could end up bumper-to-bumper. So, that is going to make a huge, huge difference."
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The announcement comes as part of the ‘Moving Florida Forward Initiative,’ which DeSantis said accelerated the introduction of I-4 widening by 20 years.
Jeremy Barns is the operations manager of Sable Transports in Bartow, which has been in business more than 40 years.
"There are over 400 distribution centers on I-4 and we service quite a few of those for different customers," said Barns.
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His 60 tractor trailer drivers who hit I-4 everyday know what it's like to be stuck in heavy traffic and so Barnes is excited this project was fast-tracked by the state.
"Obviously we're very used to sitting in construction on I-4. It seems like it's a natural state of that interstate," said Barnes. "I'm hoping it gets completed in five years like they're saying, and that will last us for a while and we can actually use it like an interstate."
Gov. DeSantis also signed House Bill 1301 at the press conference on Wednesday.