Interstate 75 North - Sumter County

Rest areas line both sides of Interstate 75 to the immediate north of the Withlacoochee River west of Croom-A-Coochee. The rural freeway travels 29.00 miles through Sumter County en route to Ocala and Gainesville.

11/11/19

I-75 north leaves Withlacoochee State Forest and approaches a parclo interchange (Exit 309) with CR 476B north and CR 673 east.

07/28/18

$77.0 million in construction finished in Spring 2018 widened a 13.08 mile section of Interstate 75 from the Hernando County line to SR 470 / CR 470.¹ This included sign updates for Exit 309, which now properly display CR 476B and 673 instead of CR 476, which crosses the freeway further north without direct access.

10/05/16

Exit 309 loops away from I-75 north to Sumter County Roads 476B and 673. Home of the Webster Westside Flea Market, one of the largest in the state, the rural city of Webster is located 9.5 miles to the east along CR 478. Florida National Cemetery lies just one mile west of the exchange along CR 476B.

07/28/18

Taking Exit 309, a series of shield assemblies precede the ramp intersection with CR 673 north and CR 476B west. CR 673 runs 4.16 miles eastward to U.S. 301 at the community of St. Catherine.

03/26/18

Sumter County Road 476B begins and turns north from I-75 to reach Sumter County Road 476 in 3.21 miles. CR 476 travels west to Nobleton in Hernando County and east to Bushnell.

03/26/18

Confirming marker north of the entrance ramp from CR 476B / 673. Previously estimated to cost $70 million, the widening of I-75 from the Hernando County line to SR 470 / CR 470 kicked off in Fall 2014.¹

10/05/16

Interstate 75 continues northeastward 5.4 miles to County Road 48 (Exit 314) at Bushnell and 41 miles to Ocala.

10/05/16

Interstate 75 traverses an area of wetlands northeast by Flag Pond and across Gum Slough in southern Sumter County.

11/14/16

Formerly a 2.17 mile long state road, SR 48 east from the diamond interchange (Exit 314) with I-75 to U.S. 301 was transferred to county maintenance during a mileage swap for CR 470 to the north. CR 48 links I-75 with the Bushnell city center while connecting with Floral City to the west and Center Hill, Okahumpka, Leesburg and Howey-In-The-Hills to the east.

10/05/16

CR 476 spans I-75 three quarters of a mile south of Exit 314 to CR 48. The county road lines Seminole Avenue through south Bushnell, passing just north of Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. CR 603 (Battlefield Drive) connects both CR 48 and CR 476 with the park.

05/27/17

Exit 314 departs I-75 north to County Road 48. CR 48 dog legs south along Main Street to U.S. 301 (Noble Avenue) through the Bushnell business district 2.1 miles to the east. U.S. 301 links with the east branch of CR 48 to Center Hill along Florida Street.

05/27/17

Commercial development surrounds Exit 314 in the form of fast food franchises, big box retail and gas stations. CR 48 leads west from the exchange to end in 12.2 miles at U.S. 41 in Floral City.

11/14/16

Leaving the Bushnell vicinity, I-75 advances north through a mix of ranch and timberland.

05/27/17

Interstate 75 converges with parallel CR 475 at Exit 321 in one mile. CR 475 links the northbound roadway with SR 470 at the community of Lake Panasoffkee.

07/28/18

The ensuing exit along I-75 north joins the six lane freeway with CR 470 west and SR 470 east in five miles. Gainesville lies an hour further north.

05/27/17

Upgraded by Fall 2016, SR 470 stretches 18 miles east from I-75 to Florida's Turnpike through annexed areas of south Wildwood and southwest Leesburg.

07/28/18

Exit 321 connects I-75 north with adjacent CR 475 to CR 470 west and SR 470 east. Widening of I-75 included lengthening and realigning ramps at this modified diamond interchange.²

07/28/18

CR 470 extends north from I-75 and SR 470 along the west side of Lake Panasoffkee 9.8 miles to SR 44 east of Rutland. SR 470 ventures east from Exit 321, 2.6 miles to U.S. 301 at the community of Sumterville.

08/16/18

CR 475 leads back south to Bushnell, following Main Street to CR 48 (Belt Avenue) in 5.6 miles.

08/16/18

Interstate 75 traverses an area of wetlands surrounding the southeastern fringes of Lake Panasoffkee just north of Exit 321. The Florida Veterans Memorial Bridge spans Panasoffkee Creek, which flows west from Shady Brook and Warm Springs Hammock to the lake.

07/28/18

The Florida Veterans Memorial Bridge was upgraded by 2002 from a pair of substandard, narrow spans to a modern bridge with full shoulders and provisions for the eventual six-laning of I-75.

07/28/18

I-75 advances seven miles from the north end of the Florida Veterans Memorial bridge to SR 44 at Wildwood and 34 miles to Ocala.
The $43.1 million project to expand 7.590 miles of I-75 from SR 470 north to just south of Florida's Turnpike was underway from Spring 2015 to Summer 2018.²

07/28/18

The first guide sign for Exit 329 (SR 44) precedes the wye interchange where I-75 merges with Florida's Turnpike.

05/02/20

Presently SR 44 provides the only access point to The Villages, a retirement community of over 100,000. The master-planned community spreads across three counties, including portions of the Wildwood city limits.

05/02/20

One half mile south of Exit 329 to SR 44 (Gulf Atlantic Highway). SR 44 stretches across the state 115.2 miles from Crystal River on the Nature Coast to New Smyrna Beach along the Space Coast.

05/02/20

Road work started in September 2016 completed the six lane expansion of I-75 through the interchange with Florida's Turnpike. Completed in January 2020, the $68.5 million project³ added distributor roadways to SR 44 (Exit 329) from northbound and from SR 44 to I-75 south.

05/02/20

The flyover linking I-75 north with SR 44 eliminated the half mile weaving traffic pattern between Florida's Turnpike and Exit 329.
Previously estimated to cost $57 million, work at the Turnpike and Wildwood was projected to start in 2015,⁴ but did not commence for another year.

07/22/20

Traffic taking Exit 329 combines with a ramp from Florida's Turnpike north end along a two lane distributor roadway to State Road 44.

05/02/20

Inverness is a 15.1 mile drive west along SR 44 to U.S. 41 in nearby Citrus County while the Wildwood city center lies four miles to the east via CR 44A and U.S. 301 (Main Street).

01/20/20

A diamond interchange (Exit 329) joins I-75 with SR 44. Travelers and truckers often use this exchange as a pit stop, as a pair of truck plazas and several food establishments are located nearby.

01/20/20

Ranchland abuts Interstate 75 over the next several miles as the freeway kinks westward ahead of Royal and the CR 462 overpass.

05/02/20

Interstate 75 enters Marion County in 5.1 miles and meets County Road 484 in 10 miles. Ocala is approximately a half hour away.

05/02/20

Gainesville remains 62 miles further north, followed by Lake City, referenced for the first time to northbound travelers, at 98 miles out.

04/17/19

Travelers along I-75 north enter Marion County between mile markers 335 and 336. The county was formed in 1844 and consists of five incorporated cities (Ocala, Belleview, Dunnellon, Mcintosh, and Reddick).

05/05/16