Road Projects Are Projected To Be Completed Earlier Due To Shelter-In-Place Orders
Officials in Tallahassee say that the massive project along Interstate 4 in Central Florida is moving at an accelerated pace due to less traffic on the roads.
According to the story which appeared on the website of Miami’s CBS Local station, because there is much less traffic on Florida’s roads due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the project might be able to be completed a little sooner than expected.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault said in a joint statement on Saturday that work for the project could be moved up a month or two in some areas of the highway. The highway improvements involve 21 miles of roadway through Orange and Seminole Counties and is currently more than 250 days behind schedule. The project cost is estimated to cost $2.3 billion. Governor DeSantis does not expect the current situation to increase the cost of the project.
“We should take advantage of this pause, “ Governor DeSantis said.
The Governor also suggested that since fewer people are going to work and children not going to school, now would be an excellent time to take advantage of reduced traffic and make further progress on road improvement projects.
Under normal conditions, daily traffic in the area along Interstate 4 has between 100,000 to 120,00 per day. During the current pandemic, that figure is down to some 40,000 vehicles. Officials say that the Interstate 4 project is due for completion in late 2021.
Additional road construction projects around the state that are likely to take advantage of reduced traffic. Some of these projects include widening Southern Boulevard located in western Palm Beach County, widening State Road 951 in southern Collier County, the 23rd Street flyover project at the intersection of U.S. Highway 98 and 26rd Street in Bay County, and the construction of a new Howard Franklin Bridge which would connect Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.