ORMOND BEACH, FL — Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony to kick off the reconstruction of one of the oldest interchanges on the state highway system — the Interstate 95 (I-95) interchange at U.S. 1 in Ormond Beach, Volusia County. This Moving Florida Forward project was advanced an additional year ahead of schedule due to innovative new construction practices utilized solely by the state of Florida. “I was proud to announce the groundbreaking of the reconstructed I-95 and U.S. 1 interchange a year ahead of schedule,” DeSantis said. “Thanks to responsible fiscal governance, we are in the position to make transformative investments in our state’s infrastructure.” “These new enhancements will bring much-needed congestion relief and safety improvements as U.S. 1 traffic volumes are expected to double in the next 20 years,” Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Jared W. Perdue, PE, said. “By reconstructing the I-95 interchange and increasing U.S. 1 capacity by 50 percent, this project is expected to have a $554 million regional economic impact in the Volusia County community.”  The project was advanced 15 to 20 years ahead of schedule and fully funded as part of the Moving Florida Forward initiative. FDOT had originally announced an accelerated construction start date of 2027. Now, the department has started construction even earlier due to an innovative and cost-effective new construction delivery method uniquely developed by FDOT. The modified phased design-build approach takes the best practices from existing delivery methods and enhances them to expedite construction, streamline resources, and find cost savings. The accelerated timeline for this interchange project means drivers will start seeing safety and traffic flow improvements sooner. With this project, the new interchange design will add three new bridges and redesigned loop ramps on I-95 to make it easier and safer for drivers entering and exiting the interstate. By extending the northbound off-ramp and southbound on-ramp, drivers will have more time to adjust their speed for safer access to and from I-95. Both I-95 off-ramps will be widened to increase safety and capacity. A 1-mile segment of U.S. 1 will also be widened to six lanes.