FDOT plans to close Stockton Street exit for about a year

The exit to Stockton Street from Interstate 95 northbound just after the Fuller Warren Bridge will be closed for about a year starting Sunday, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

It’s part of the ongoing I-10/I-95 Interchange Improvements Project, and the best way to get to Stockton street will be to continue onto Interstate 10 and get off on McDuff Avenue. From there you can loop back around on Edison Avenue.

“Some of the work that is required for the ramp requires workers to be a lot closer to the traffic there, so it’s a safety issue,” says Hampton Ray, a spokesman for the FDOT.

He says the ramp is expected to open back up next fall.

The ramp to Stockton Street from I-95 southbound is closed already, so this weekend’s change won’t mean anything different for drivers coming from that direction. Anyone heading east on I-10 will still be able to use the Stockton exit on that side of the highway.

“We certainly appreciate the patience that it’s going to take to have this long-term detour in place, but it is for the safety of both the drivers and the construction personnel,” Ray says.

While most drivers will be able to take the Edison Avenue detour, heavy trucks will have to take a different route to get to Stockton. Ray says the detour for truck drivers will be to exit onto McDuff and then get back onto I-10 heading toward downtown to get off at Stockton.

Ray says it’s hard to say exactly when the ramp will open up again, because weather can easily delay construction with a project like this.