INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Monday, county leaders and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) marked the beginning of work on a new Interstate 95 interchange at Oslo Road.
The new exit will be halfway between Indrio Road and State Route 60, and the first new exit on the Treasure Coast since the Becker Road and Crosstown Parkway interchanges in Port St. Lucie back in 2009.
The $95 million project will be funded by federal and state dollars, as FDOT will be taking over responsibility for Oslo Road east to US 1.
“The turning point in this project was really the community engagement," FDOT District 4 Secretary Steven Braun said.
A new interchange at Oslo has been talked about for decades.
Discussions with the Federal Highway Administration, and recent moves by local transportation leaders stressed to the state the importance of the project.
“And then also emergency response. Emergency response times to I-95 and also evacuation of the area," Braun said. "As the county continues to grow, it was important to really balance the infrastructure with that."
Indian River County Commission Chairman Joe Earman said the onus is now on the county to make sure it has its priorities in order as there's no doubt the new exit will bring lots of new growth.
“We need to look at how we’re going to do our zoning, so we don’t have sprawl or have things that don’t need to be there," Earman said.
Elsebeth Smith grew up along Oslo Road which used to be nothing but citrus groves.
Now, she and her colleagues at Audrey’s Feed and Tack near 66th Avenue, are hoping more traffic leads to more customers.
“I think it’s pretty cool," Smith said. "Crazy for Oslo Road to be an exit off the interstate because growing up on Oslo was nothing."
Work to widen Oslo Road to four lanes should begin in the coming weeks. The entire interchange project should be complete in the summer of 2027.
