The I-4 Ultimate: Florida’s Biggest Road Project Now Open

Equipment World ^ | March 7, 2022 | Don McLoud

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

The toll lanes for Florida’s I-4 Ultimate, a seven-year, $2.4 billion project, are now open, with 21 miles of rebuilt highway and new express lanes between Orange and Seminole counties.

It is the largest road project in state history.

Highlights of the project:

Reconstruction of I-4 lanes and adding four new tolled I-4 Express lanes – two in each direction; Reconstruction of 15 major interchanges; Replacement of 74 bridges, widening of 13 bridges, and adding 53 new bridges.

The I-4 Express lanes, the centerpiece of the project, are now open on the interstate’s center lanes and separated by concrete barriers. The Florida Department of Transportation says work is wrapping up on the overall projec

[rollo tomasi]

The area on I-4 once you pass Princeton leading up to and past Colonial going west/Michigan to Fairbanks going east drive was designed purposefully to be a bottleneck to steer people into using the toll which is the “cost of doing business”. Just shook my head when I heard that from a city worker who is “up there” in position. Even on Saturday and Sunday it gets backed up which was never an issue before "the enhancements".

Also they make it confusing, on purpose again, for unsuspecting drivers to accidentally get on the turnpike after John Young or Kirkland via from the toll. Double-back from the mistake cost around $25 dollars. Really shady stuff due to the fact it was designed to do so.

Could have easily just added 4 lanes or a toll way but without the bottlenecks.

[Menes]

Thank you for your kind reply :-)

I really hadn’t been aware of the risk which citrus farmes have to take, but the weather really can have its mood swings. Sometimes with devastating effect :-(

I still remember from my teenage years in the mid-eighties that there once was a similar occurrence in Northern Italy when millions of olive trees died of an unusually harsh winter. They are evergreen, just like citrus trees.

When I visited America for the first time, I felt like on another planet: green tree foliage in January, and orange trees. Believe it or not, I had never seen a real one :lol: