Sumter County celebrates infrastructure project aimed at boosting local business

Sumter County officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday to mark the completion of Industrial Park Drive, a major infrastructure project.

County Chairman Craig Estep greeted visitors at the the ceremony at the junction of Industrial Park Drive and Orba Drive.

Estep explained that the county, in partnership with the Florida Department of Commerce, used a $6 million grant from the Florida Job Growth program to fund the work.

It included a 1.5 mile expansion of Industrial Park Drive from north U.S. 301 to County Road 514. The existing two-lane road was widened to four lanes to allow for increased traffic flow through the Governor Rick Scott Industrial Park, the future Monarch Ranch Industrial property and the Representative Marlene O’Toole Industrial Park.

Businesses that will benefit from the roadway project include The Villages Daily Sun and DZ Block. The representatives of those businesses helped cut the ribbon.

State Rep. John Temple and Sumter Commissioner Oren Miller were among the officials also on hand for the event.

The project was awarded to the C.W. Roberts Construction Inc. on June 5, 2023 and cost a total of $6.95 million. Less than one year later, the project was complete.

The project also included the opening of a new CSX railroad crossing and the demolition of the old crossing. U.S. 301 improvements include a new southbound right-turn lane and a northbound center left-turn lane.