Rain postpones groundbreaking ceremony for 'diverging diamond' project at I-75/University Parkway

UNIVERSITY PARKWAY — A groundbreaking ceremony for the Interstate 75/University Parkway Diverging Diamond Interchange project has been postponed.

The ceremony, which was scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday in Lakewood Ranch, would have celebrated the first diverging diamond interchange in Florida. The groundbreaking will be rescheduled at a later date.

“The I-75/University Parkway groundbreaking has been postponed due to saturated ground and the threat of additional rain,” Robin Stublen, Florida Department of Transportation spokesman, said in an email. Construction on the project, which will cost $74.5 million to build, officially began Monday. Construction is expected to be completed in about two years — in time for the Sept. 24- Oct. 1, 2017, World Rowing Championship at Nathan Benderson Park. A diverging diamond interchange “offers a proven solution for improving overall traffic operations and safety for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians,” a flier describing the project states. Traffic crosses to the left (opposite) side of the road guided by signals at each crossover as it enters or leaves the interstate and/or passes through the interchange on University Parkway.

Other planned improvements include:

-- Adding auxiliary lanes on northbound and sounthbound I-75.

-- Constructing new bridges on I-75 over University Parkway.

-- Widening University Parkway and I-75 bridges over Erie Creek and fOLEY cREEK.

-- Realigning on-ramps and off-ramps at I-75/University Parkway.

-- Adding ponds and drainage improvements.

-- New lighting and signals.

-- Constructing a noise wall on the west side of I-75.

-- Adding sidewalks, bike lanes and walkways.

This story was originally published August 3, 2015 at 3:32 PM with the headline "Rain postpones groundbreaking ceremony for 'diverging diamond' project at I-75/University Parkway."