TRANSPORTATION

"The purpose of this Interchange Justification Report (IJR) is to document the potential benefits and impacts of a proposed interchange on Interstate 75 (I-75) at CR 514 near Milepost (MP) 17.520 in Sumter County, Florida. The proposed interchange is separated from the two adjacent existing interchanges to the north and south by 4.2 miles and 3.4 miles respectively. These include the semi directional interchange between I-75 and Florida’s Turnpike at MP 21.685 to the north, and CR 470 at MP 14.100 to the south. Figure ES-1 Shows the location of the proposed interchange.

The purpose and need for the proposed interchange at I-75 / CR 514 is to serve the regional growth in traffic demand anticipated with the proposed Florida Crossroads Industrial Activity Center (FCIAC) which is endorsed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to facilitate the movement of goods from the state’s air and sea ports to this centralized distribution center before distribution to all points of the country. This FCIAC is projected to generate high truck volumes using the proposed CR 514 interchange as the primary access to I-75. Sections 3.5 and 3.6 detail the economic development projects that are planned and approved in the region, and the planning initiatives that are programmed and planned in the study area to serve the anticipated traffic demand. Section 7.0 provides a summary of several key factors that drive the need for additional access to the interstate.

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