RESOURCES

As part of Florida Department of Transportation FDOT’s commitment to the Moving I-4 Forward Program, the Corridors Program Office (CPO) has identified an Accelerated Start project that will further expedite the delivery of the program’s core projects. Divided into two separate segments, the Accelerated Start project will advance the delivery of the final roadway configuration and facilitate traffic shifts during construction of the program’s mega projects. The undertaking of the Accelerated Start project enhances the Moving I-4 Forward Program’s flexibility and efficiency by ensuring other projects can be constructed independently rather than having to be built sequentially. This means that multiple projects can be built at the same time, further expediting the timeline of improvements to the I-4 corridor.

Starting in 2025, motorists will experience immediate congestion relief when a pair of new general-purpose lanes opens to traffic under the Accelerated Start project. The new lanes will be built in the median of the existing I-4 mainline and will be open the week of April 28, 2025. This will bring immediate congestion relief at the start of the Moving I-4 Forward Program instead of waiting until the program is complete. The overall program will also include wider shoulders for emergency evacuations and reworked interchanges that will reduce backups along ramps to provide safer driving conditions.

Interchanges will be improved and reworked to reduce traffic backing up along ramps and reducing the likelihood of rear-end crashes. Widened shoulders will assist with emergency evacuations as well as aid emergency response vehicles. The new express lanes will improve overall traffic flow and reduce the number of congestion-related crashes. Finally, the existing roadway will be resurfaced to improve the friction course and reduce rutting to increase traction, especially during wet or slippery conditions.

The Accelerated Start project broke ground in early 2025, an estimated 10 years sooner than planned. Construction of the congestion relief lanes, one in each direction between U.S. 27 and World Drive, will open the week of April 28, 2025. Project 1, Project 2, and the Poinciana Connector (Project 5) will begin construction in 2025. Project 3 and Project 4 will begin construction in 2026.