RESOURCES

As part of Florida Department of Transportation FDOT’s commitment to the Moving I-4 Forward Program, the Corridors Program Office (CPO) identified and constructed an Accelerated Start project that is helping to expedite the delivery of the program’s core projects. Divided into two separate segments, the Accelerated Start project has advanced the delivery of the final roadway configuration and will 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.

Motorists are currently experiencing congestion relief with the pair of new general-purpose lanes that were constructed under the Accelerated Start project and are now open to traffic. This has brought rapid congestion relief at the start of the Moving I-4 Forward Program instead of waiting until the program is complete. The remaining projects will construct wider shoulders for emergency evacuations and upgraded 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 opened in April 2025 – a full eight (8) months ahead of schedule. 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.