North Florida Roads

An overpass is being constructed on State Road 26 over U.S. 301 and the adjacent CSX railroad. The $9.9 million, federally-funded 1.7 mile project was designed to improve safety for motorists traveling on State Road 26 and trying to cross U.S. 301 and the CSX railroad tracks.

More than 9,500 vehicles travel each day on State Road 26 and more than 11,000 vehicles travel each day on U.S. 301. Those numbers increase during University of Florida home football games when fans travel into Gainesville on these roads.

The overpass will be constructed about 700 feet south of the existing roadway and once completed, traffic will be routed up and over the intersection of U.S. 301 and the CSX railroad. The two-lane overpass will have 12-foot travel lanes, 10-foot shoulders and will be almost 25 feet high.

The overpass will tie into State Road 26 west of U.S. 301 where the old pavement was not replaced during the recent resurfacing of State Road 26 and on the east side about a mile from U.S. 301. Access to the existing State Road 26 will be maintained during construction and after the overpass has been completed.

The project is estimated to take about two years to complete. Southland Construction, Inc. of Apopka has been hired by the FDOT to do the work, which began July 2009 by placing signs and clearing the wooded area in the location of the new overpass.

This project is part of Governor Crists focus on strengthening Floridas economy. To help speed up construction start dates, FDOT has streamlined the process for obtaining permits by reducing the 90-day timeframe allowed by Florida law to between 15 and 30 days.