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Overview
Project Location
Location and Study Area
Located in North Central Florida, SR 40 links Interstate 75 (I-75) with Interstate 95 (I-95) from Ocala east to Daytona Beach.
The feasibility study focuses on a forty-mile section of the SR 40 corridor bounded by Silver Springs to the West and US 17 in the East. The study segment crosses three county lines, but is fully contained within the boundaries of FDOT District 5. The segment between SR 326 and US 17 is designated as part of the Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS) and is part of the National Highway System (NHS). The rural two-lane principal arterial bisects the Ocala National Forest (ONF). In addition, it provides access to the Lake George State Forest, Silver River State Park, Cross Florida Greenway and Florida National Scenic Trail. Bridges on SR 40 span the Ocklawaha and St. Johns Rivers. Several small communities are strung along the corridor including Astor, Waldena, and Lynn.
Environmental Characteristics
 The Ocala National Forest, in combination with surrounding forests and public lands, provide habitat for a large number of game and non-game wildlife species. The area constitutes a core conservation area with strategic habitat that supports species diversity. The area contains sand pine scrub habitat, which supports the Florida scrub-jay, sand skink, eastern indigo snake, and short-tailed snake, all of which are federal or state listed threatened species. This area also provides an extensive habitat capable of supporting populations of large wildlife species such as the Florida black bear.
Because of the uniqueness and quality of the habitat, much of the land and the waters in this region have received special designations and are protected and conserved under a variety of federal and state jurisdictions. Designations include: National Forest and National Wildlife Refuge (Ocala), State Park (Silver River), State Forest (Lake George), State Greenway (Cross Florida), American Heritage River (St. Johns River), and Outstanding Florida Waters (Ocklawaha River), among others.
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