Gainesville has opened the SW 62nd Boulevard Connector one month ahead of schedule, providing drivers with access to the new 1.1-mile roadway that helps link Newberry and Archer roads, according to a city news release.

The $18.8 million project, which is meant to improve accessibility and bolster safety on Gainesville roads, was largely funded by a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation and includes wider lanes, large shoulders and buffered bicycle lanes, the release says. The rest of the cost was shouldered primarily by the city’s gas tax and general fund.

“A well-connected road network is crucial,” Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward said in the release. “These changes improve safety and make it easier for neighbors to choose alternative modes of transportation. They help disperse traffic and reduce delay and congestion. In the end, they make our community more comfortable, more convenient and a safer place to live.”

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The city hopes the connector will ease traffic in the area and increase highway efficiency on Interstate 75 in alignment with the city’s “Vision Zero” policy that seeks to improve traffic safety in the city.

“It was studied at length for any number of years so the hope is that it is the best possible alternative we can offer to help make District 3 in Gainesville more user-friendly,” Ward told The Sun in February 2023.

According to the news release, the city is currently working on four other road projects including a revamp of University Avenue funded by an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a project on Northeast Ninth Street, the addition of bike lanes and resurfacing of Northwest Eighth Avenue.

“This project has been talked about since the 1990s,” city of Gainesville Public Works Director Brian Singleton said in the release. “It’s very exciting to complete the roadway grid that provides these safe and improved options for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians navigating between the commercial centers in this part of the city.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Gainesville finishes construction on SW 62nd Boulevard connector