A traffic light and turn lane will be installed on Thonotosassa Road at the Interstate 4 exit ramp.
Construction began in November on a Florida Department of Transportation project to help with traffic congestion at the intersection of Thonotosassa Road and the eastbound Interstate 4 exit ramp.
A traffic light will be installed at the intersection, and an additional right turn lane from I-4 onto southbound Thonotosassa Road will be added next to an existing lane.
The intersection has seen an increase in traffic as more businesses, including Starbucks, Wawa and Publix, have been built near it. A Hampton Inn is also under construction on the east side of Thonotosassa Road, near Waffle House.
The goal of the project is to keep all lanes of traffic open, especially during peak travel times. The new additions also will allow for better traffic flow during major Plant City events, such as the annual Florida Strawberry Festival.
“Right now it’s all free flow,” John McShaffrey, the public information officer for the FDOT’s Interstate Construction office, said.
The project is estimated to be completed in spring 2016. It will cost about $2 million and is being completed by Gibbs and Register Inc.
“For the most part, staging’s being done,” McShaffrey said.
Since the contract began on Nov. 12, the contractor has put a temporary barrier wall along Thonotosassa Road, under the I-4 ramp.
With the addition of the barrier wall, work over the next couple of weeks will include installing drainage pipes behind the barrier wall. Poles for the traffic signals will also be constructed.
Overnight lane closures took place from Nov. 30, to Dec. 3. There are no other immediate closures planned.
The addition of a second right turn lane onto southbound Thonotosassa Road may result in reducing existing lane widths, specifically the lanes from the eastbound I-4 exit ramp and eastbound I-4 entrance ramp.
In addition to the work at the eastbound exit ramp of I-4, Thonotosassa Road will be resurfaced. The resurfacing will be done from Townsgate Court to north of I-4. In total, the construction and resurfacing projects cover about one half mile.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.
