ORLANDO, Fla. – Let’s be honest, there is a lot of traffic in Orlando and the congestion can be unbearable.
Gilda Alai, an Orlando resident, echoes this sentiment. “Everywhere you go, you see it in Orlando and Central Florida. The traffic is worse and worse.”
Running into bumper-to-bumper traffic is inevitable in Orlando, with some residents estimating wait times from 30 minutes to 40, maybe an hour.
“We’ll be there for like an hour and a half, just trying to get down the road 10 minutes,” said St. Cloud Resident Mariah McDaniel.
INRIX studies congestion in around 1,000 metro areas, and of the 300 areas they studied in the U.S., Orlando ranks number 38, with drivers losing 27 hours a year waiting in traffic.
Steve Remias, Head of Product Strategy Signals at INRIX, explains, “Our hypothesis is that the congestion is being driven by a bulk population growth and tourism, as well as some of the transit options. How many of those transit options are available?”
Many local drivers and INRIX point to I-4 as the main headache.
“I’m sure it is. I just don’t go on there that much. Is it because of the traffic? Yeah, I’d rather stay home,” said McDaniel.
The Florida Department of Transportation has a couple of projects in the works, including one right here off of Darryl Carter Parkway.
They plan on opening up this ramp and adding several other improvements in this area to hopefully alleviate some of the congestion on I-4.
Officials hope to switch drivers to the Diamond Exchange and open the ramps on this roadway by April or May.
People are hoping other areas are improved as well, with Alai mentioning, “436 needs to be fixed. 434 needs to be fixed. The main roads which people take to work or to go home.”
“I think a lot of people around Orlando know Narcoossee to be really backed up. It’ll back up the highway too, like people trying to get onto Narcoossee,” said McDaniel.
Local drivers believe more transit options, like the train, could also help.
FDOT says they also plan on adding more lanes on I-75 near State Road 44 starting next month.
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