POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) commemorated a new wildlife crossing on I-4 in Polk County with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday morning.
The crossing, located right in the middle of the green swamp area at State Road 557, is the first of its kind on the interstate and will allow animals to move freely north and south in Florida's wildlife corridor.
Over the past few years, traffic along State Road 557 has grown tremendously due to "explosive" population growth in Polk County, FDOT District 1 Secretary L.K. Nandam said at the ceremony.
"Polk County has been one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation," Nandam said. "Lots of people are moving here. This growth in traffic precipitated the need for us to pursue this interchange improvement project."
Among those improvements was the installation of the wildlife crossing, which Nandam says is the first step in resolving the disruption of wildlife movement that I-4 caused when it was first built.
FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida legislature for prioritizing wildlife preservation in the state.
"We consider ourselves a national leader in balancing all of the priorities that come with transportation, obviously to deliver infrastructure that moves people and goods, but also to preserve and protect Florida's natural resources, environment and wildlife," Perdue said.