The I-75 Relief Task Force, which held its fourth meeting Wednesday at the Rohan Recreation Center, could be a starting point for major changes in the state transportation system from Tampa to Jacksonville.
Those changes could include new transportation corridors for cars and trains or widening of existing roads. It may take decades to implement the task force recommendations.
“It’s sort of like the first draft of a paper,” Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jim Boxold said of the group’s efforts. “The size and scope of this task force is unlike anything FDOT has ever done.”
He said the department already is considering some I-75 improvements.
“Whether the task force recommends it or not, express lanes on the interstate are something we’re looking at,” Boxold said, adding that those lanes may require tolls.
He said Florida is well-positioned financially for road projects because, unlike other states, only 25 percent of its transportation revenue comes from the federal government. Other revenue sources are the gas tax and vehicle license fees.
Boxold was among the public officials on hand for Wednesday’s day-long meeting. Garry Breeden represents Sumter County and Stan McClain represents Marion County on the task force.
After completing a series of seven meetings, the task force will sponsor a second round of community workshops for the public to present its views, said Haiwei Shen of FDOT. After three more meetings, the group will present its recommendations in a report to Boxold.
FDOT planning administrator Jim Wood said two task force goals are to provide relief to Interstate 75 and enhance connections between Tampa Bay and Jacksonville.
The group also will look at widening U.S. 301, which already serves as a traffic alternative for the interstate, from Interstate 10 in Duvall County to State Road 50 in Hernando County.
While some improvements are decades away, a few projects are closer.
T.J. Fish, executive director of the Lake-Sumter Metropolitan Planning Organization, said one of those is realignment of the interchange of the Florida Turnpike and I-75.
“It’s not just the interchange,” he said. “We’ve also got State Road 44 to the north. The (new) design seeks to reduce the amount of conflict.”
Fish said other Sumter County projects include a new I-75 interchange at County Road 514 and a bypass around Coleman, where U.S. 301 runs through the town.
He said County Road 470 also will be upgraded and will become a major transportation corridor from Monarch Ranch, a future industrial park near I-75 expected to employ more than 25,000 people, and developments to the east such as the new Village of Fenney south of County Road 468.
The turnpike eventually will be widened to six lanes and the interchange at County Road 470 will be revamped.
“Our biggest concern is I-75 north of the turnpike to Ocala,” he said. “There are significant safety issues.”
An accident on that stretch of roadway claimed the life of a Villages sales agent and a state trooper in 2014. You can read more about that HERE
That stretch of the interstate eventually must be widened to eight lanes at an estimated cost of $428 million, said Greg Slay, executive director of the Ocala/Marion County Transportation Planning Organization.
By 2040, Slay said, the road will be used by up to 40,000 trucks daily, partly because of the 5.3 million square feet of distribution space in Ocala, where Federal Express, Kmart, National Parts Depot, Cheney Brothers and other distributors have facilities.
Dennis Dix, executive director of the Hernando/Citrus Metropolitan Planning Organization, said he hopes the task force will look at the impact of technology on future transportation needs, such as automated vehicles that are only a few years away.