- October 12, 2024
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In late January, Gov. Ron DeSantis proposed a $4 billion infrastructure initiative aimed to expedite transportation projects across a nine-county region over the next four years.
Ormond Beach's I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange redesign is one of those projects.
And on Thursday, April 13, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, joined by transportation officials, held a news conference promoting the initiative, titled "Moving Florida Forward," and called for legislature to approve the $4 billion investment in its entirety. If passed by legislature, the investment would redirect an average of $131 million annually to the state Transportation Work Program and leverage more funding over the four years for a total of $7 billion.
"So if funding for this initiative is passed as originally recommended by the governor, Floridians would benefit tremendously from the $7 billion worth of infrastructure improvements that are ready to begin as soon as next year," Núñez said. "If not, unfortunately these projects will simply have to wait and those delays of progress could come up to possibly 15 to 20 years from now."
Núñez said the state isn't in a position to hold off on these projects due to the amount of growth in both the number of residents and tourists.
"This initiative is the ultimate solution, we believe, to address Florida's infrastructure needs and challenges, and the action that we need to take, it needs to be done now," Núñez said. "It needs to be done now for real change that our communities have been longing for, especially as it relates to traffic and congestion."
The Ormond Beach I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange project is the only one of 20 projects included in the initiative that is located in Volusia County.
On March 29 and 30, the Florida Department of Transportation held two public hearings to announce it would be pursuing a redesign of the interchange to a "diverging diamond" interchange, estimated to cost $215.4 million. According to FDOT, this design would promote safety as vehicles turning left would not have to cross opposing traffic, and, drivers would be less likely to enter ramps in the wrong direction.
"This interchange is the original construction on I-95," FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue said during the news conference. "It's in desperate need of upgrades, both for safety and congestion relief."
FDOT is excited to "hit the ground running" with these projects, Perdue said, and is looking forward to continuing to work with the legislature to fully fund the initiative.
"It's bold," Perdue said. "It's innovative. It's forward thinking, and it's really going to set Florida up for many years to come."
