The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District One, is hosting a Virtual Public Workshop to review design plans for the I-4 wildlife crossing located in northeast Lakeland. A map showing the project limits is attached. The workshop will be held completely online on the project website: www.swflroads.com/i4/wildlifecrossing; with no live component.
As a commitment made from previous environmental studies, one wildlife crossing will be located approximately 1.6 miles east of the I-4/SR 33 interchange with the intended purpose of connecting the Tenoroc Management Area to the south. The wildlife crossing will consist of a 44-foot wide bridge crossing over I-4. The Virtual Public Workshop is being held before design plans are finalized.
Workshop materials will be available online for people to review and to provide comments. These materials will be available as part of the Virtual Public Workshop which will last for 21 days, from Tuesday, May 25, 2021 through Tuesday, June 15, 2021. If you would like hard copy packets of the workshop materials, they will be available for pickup at the Lakeland Public Library – Larry R. Jackson Branch, located at 1700 N. Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL 33805 during regular business hours between May 25, 2021 and June 15, 2021. Although there is no live component to this workshop, we encourage you to submit any questions you may have through the project website or contact the FDOT Project Manager, Doug Burkhart, P.E., by email at [email protected] or by phone at (850) 536-8539. A member of the project team will address any questions received.
After reviewing the workshop materials, you may submit any comments on the project in three different ways: (1) through the project website (www.swflroads.com/i4/wildlifecrossing); (2) emailing the FDOT Project Manager, Doug Burkhart, P.E. at [email protected]; or (3) mailing your comments to Doug Burkhart, P.E. at FDOT District One, P.O. Box 1249, Bartow, FL 33831. Please note that comments must be received or postmarked by June 15, 2021 in order to be included in the workshop summary. The project team will post a summary of the comments received during the workshop to the project website (www.swflroads.com/i4/wildlifecrossing) about 30 days after the comment period ends (June 15, 2021).
For more information about the I-4 wildlife crossing design project, please contact Doug Burkhart, P.E., FDOT Project Manager, by phone at (850) 536-8539, by email at [email protected], or visit the project website at www.swflroads.com/i4/wildlifecrossing.