FDOT Outlines Major I-75 Expansion

I-75 will see a major expansion in the coming months, with the addition of three new express lanes and a complete resurfacing from Golden Gate Parkway to Alico Road in Lee County.

According to officials from the Florida Department of Transportation, the $578 million improvements are part of a broader $4 billion statewide roadway improvement project called Moving Florida Forward, which was passed by Governor Ron DeSantis in 2023.

The proposed improvements will also include new auxiliary lanes between Golden Gate Parkway and Alico Road, congestion relief lanes between Immokalee and Bonita Beach Roads, and a new diverging diamond interchange on Immokalee Road. The roadway expansion also includes several new noise barriers along key sections of I-75, but they won’t be provided for every neighborhood.

Construction is estimated to begin in late fall this year, FDOT officials said during a virtual session to discuss the project on September 2 and would help address rapid population and traffic growth in Southwest Florida.

The auxiliary lanes, officials explained, are side lanes that extend from exit ramp to exit ramp, allowing drivers to travel shorter distances within a community without necessarily joining the busier flow of traffic on the interstate. The extended lanes also give more time for safe merging, officials said, hoping to reduce the risk of accidents.

Express lanes will also be added; these optional toll lanes are meant to provide drivers with a more reliable travel option during congested periods. Officials said the toll revenue will be reinvested in future maintenance and improvements.

The diverging diamond interchange, at the intersection of I-75 and Immokalee Road, will significantly reconfigure the existing roadway. The concept is to allow free-flowing turns when entering and exiting the interstate without crossing oncoming traffic by temporarily shifting traffic to the opposite side of the road within the interchange. FDOT officials explained that the model should reduce vehicle and pedestrian conflict during turns and handle higher traffic volumes.

A major component of the project is installing noise barriers along the expanded roadway, though not all communities will receive them, notably the Estero area. According to FDOT officials, the agency evaluated all the noise-sensitive areas along the corridor and identified 29 communities where the noise barriers were both feasible and reasonable.

The installation of the barriers alone is estimated to cost $77 million and will consist of 20 segments, 22 feet in height, extending 78,000 feet along the interstate. The construction, FDOT says, will affect 3,741 homes and reduce overall noise by 7.4 decibels. The installation of the barriers is primarily within FDOT's jurisdiction and doesn’t need local approval, though officials said construction could be stopped if residents oppose it.

No new wildlife underpasses are currently planned as part of the construction, officials said, relying on existing waterways and streams for wildlife to move under the interstate.

FDOT is actively accepting public input on the project as they wrap up the re-evaluation phase of the project, with submissions closing on Sept. 14. Members of the public can submit their thoughts online at www.swflroads.com/project/452544-1, and find more information about the scope of the project online on the FDOT website.