CELEBRATION, Fla. – Construction work will ramp up along Interstate 4 in Polk and Osceola counties to add more lanes to help reduce congestion, according to a press release from the Florida Department of Transportation.
The Moving I-4 Forward Program’s Accelerated Start Project will span 7.5 miles of I-4 in both directions between east of U.S. 27 and World Drive, adding one lane in each direction by the end of 2025.
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The project will also build wide entrance and exit ramps at the ChampionsGate interchange and lay the groundwork for future projects.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the accelerated plan in June 2024. The rapid construction hopes to bring relief to “one of the most congested areas in Central Florida,” the release said.
After those lanes are open, FDOT said “additional work in the Accelerated Start phase will add the pavement to expand I-4 to the full width for 10 total lanes at two interchanges: ChampionsGate Boulevard and World Drive.”
Eventually, five other, larger projects in the Moving I-4 Forward Program will widen the highway up to 12 lanes, with express lanes and general use. The projects will also reconstruct ramps at interchanges, add new connections, resurface the road and widen the shoulders for added safety.
“This project is a game changer not only for our surrounding communities that travel this vital corridor every day but also for the millions of visitors who come each year to Central Florida,” FDOT Assistant Secretary of Engineering and Operations Will N. Watts, Jr. said in a statement.
The Moving I-4 Forward Project has invested more than $7 billion into improving the state’s roadways.
To learn more about the Moving I-4 Forward Project and see project updates, click here.
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