Interstate lanes face nightly closures

As Holiday traffic picks up the weekend ahead of Christmas, travelers heading south in Sarasota County on I-75 in will need to take a nine-mile detour in the evenings.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the southbound lanes of I-75 between River Road (exit 191) and Sumter Boulevard (exit 182) will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Friday and Sunday, for crews to repair an overpass damaged by a dump truck. Engineers may need to close the stretch for the same time period Monday, if parts needed for the repair of Ponce De Leon Boulevard.

During the closures, drivers should take River Road to U.S. 41, go nine miles before turning east onto Sumter Boulevard before approaching the southbound entrance ramp for I-75.