The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is planning a new project for 4.2 miles of Interstate 275 between Floribraska Avenue and Yukon Street.
According to
FDOT Public Information Officer John McShaffrey, the $30 million project will widen both inside and outside shoulder areas along north- and southbound I-275, south of Floribraska Avenue to north of Yukon Street. The project aims to create a more consistent shoulder width.
“It's a safety project,” McShaffrey says. “As you drive through that area now, there are shoulders of varying widths -- some aren't even wide enough to pull over if you break down or have a minor accident.”
Partial demolition and widening by
Prince Contracting will occur on a total of 26 bridges, widening each to connect in the center. There will also be widening of non-bridge shoulder portions of the highway while existing grass and guardrail in current medians will be replaced by a concrete barrier to match median connections on the north and south ends outside of the project limits.
“Ultimately, the shoulders will be about 10 feet wide, enabling people to pull off in case of an emergency,” McShaffrey says. “A lot of times when you break down and there's no shoulder area, it takes up a lane. This project, once complete, will allow traffic to keep flowing when you have those kinds of instances.”
Expected to begin in June 2012, the project will also include some drainage, sign and signal work. Existing overhead message signs will be replaced by signs with color displays.
Completion of the project is slated for Summer 2014 with periodic north- and southbound lane closures between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m. The current 55 mph speed limit will remain during construction.
Writer:
Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: John McShaffrey,
FDOT
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