FDOT presents Sterling Road interchange study; commissioners press for mitigation, tribe coordination

FDOT consultant Justin Rielitz presented a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study on June 18, 2025, for a proposed Sterling Road interchange with Florida's Turnpike that FDOT says would ease congestion at the nearby Hollywood Boulevard and Griffin Road interchanges and improve travel time reliability.

The project would add north- and southbound ramps, replace the Sterling Road bridge over the Turnpike, build a new bridge to connect Sterling Road to a new “Seminole Way” access, and install a 12-foot shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists. Rielitz said the analysis shows reduced travel times of roughly 30–38 percent at the existing interchanges and forecasted decreases in traffic on Hollywood Boulevard and Griffin Road if the interchange is built.

Why it matters: FDOT presented the interchange as a capacity and safety improvement that also would help emergency response because portions of the Turnpike are designated evacuation routes. The plan includes multimodal elements — a raised, separated shared-use path — that commissioners said are especially important for…