FDOT unveils Polk County's first wildlife crossing under I-4, part of interchange project

Published on June 6, 2024

The strip of red plastic stretched out at Hilochee Wildlife Management Area on Wednesday morning, a flimsy obstacle that wouldn’t stop the scrawniest fawn, signified the removal of an insurmountable barrier for animals.

A group of elected officials and state agency leaders watched as Jared Perdue, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, snipped the ribbon to commemorate completion of a four-year project to replace the interchange at Interstate 4 and County Road 557. The ceremony took place just yards away from the southern mouth of a wildlife crossing under a raised section of I-4, the first such passage to be built in Polk County.

Read the full article by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger at FDOT unveils Polk County's first wildlife crossing under I-4, part of interchange project (yahoo.com)