The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded an additional $60 million to Florida to fully fund phase two of the Tamiami Trail project.
The state also has committed $40 million to the project.
The project will allow more water to flow under the 91-year-old Tamiami Trail by raising the road another 6.5 miles. The road has dammed up the marshes and parts of Florida Bay and has been a restoration priority for 30 years.
The water will reconnect pieces of the system that runs from Lake Okeechobee through the Everglades to Florida Bay. Phase two will restore water flow south to the Everglades.
“Expediting the Tamiami Trail project is a key component of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “Elevating the trail will allow for an additional 75 to 80 billion gallons of water a day to flow south into the Everglades and Florida Bay.”
DeSantis expedited key Everglades projects in an executive order.
The project is a partnership between the Florida Department of Transportation, the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The design phase will be completed next year, and the project will be completed in 2023, the National Park Service forecasts.