Governor says Capital Circle widening will open a year early, citing $125 million investment

The governor announced at a Cabinet event in Tallahassee that the Capital Circle widening project serving the Tallahassee International Airport will open in May, about one year ahead of schedule. "We are officially gonna be able to open that in May, 1 year ahead of schedule," the governor said.

The project will complete a six‑lane loop around the city, tripling lanes from one to three in each direction on the corridor and providing an evacuation route, the governor said. He described Phase 2 as the "final stretch" and said it was accelerated by roughly a decade because of the state's "Moving Florida Forward" initiative. "Phase 2 was accelerated 1 decade ahead of schedule because of our moving Florida forward initiative in 2023," he said.

Jared Purdue said the state used general revenue surplus to advance transportation work and highlighted the scale of recent investments. "We advanced $7,000,000,000 worth of transportation projects using general revenue surplus," Jared Purdue said, and added that the state has been delivering projects on top of a record $15,000,000,000 annual program. Purdue also said FDOT crews would update signage leading to the airport to reflect the new airport name.

The governor and officials said the project represents a significant infrastructure investment; the governor referenced a combined investment exceeding $125,000,000 and said accelerating projects has shortened delivery timelines by years in many cases. He argued the improvements should relieve congestion and provide more reliable travel times for residents and visitors.

Officials present did not announce additional construction milestones or a specific schedule for Phase 2 completion beyond the May opening of the announced segment. The ribbon‑cutting and signage update were part of the day's ceremony; state transportation officials said crews would begin updating road signs after the event.