Florida DOT sets project to add lanes on I-4 in eastern Polk as high priority

For those who despise driving on Interstate 4 in eastern Polk County, the Florida Department of Transportation promises that relief is coming, though it's still years away.

The state agency has designated as a chief priority a project that will add express lanes on a stretch of I-4 from just west of U.S. 27 to the Osceola County line. That is one of five highway projects in Central Florida given accelerated construction status as FDOT addresses increasing road congestion.

The agency released new details on the venture Tuesday in conjunction with an industry forum held at Orlando International Airport.

Gov. Ron DeSantis announced in a news conference held in Auburndale in February 2023 that he would ask the Florida Legislature for billions in funding to advance the schedules of 20 transportation projects throughout the state, an initiative he called “Moving Florida Forward.” Lawmakers allotted $4 billion in last year’s budget for the initiative.

FDOT is providing roughly $3 billion to cover the remaining projected cost of the statewide projects. The Moving Florida Forward initiative has moved up construction dates for the selected highway projects by 10 to 15 years, Jessica Ottaviano, FDOT’s state communications director, said by phone.

With Florida’s population surging above 22 million, stoppages and slowdowns are routine on I-4 between Lakeland and Orlando.

The state agency, whose seven district offices normally handle local construction projects, created what Ottaviano described as “a mini-district” to oversee the five Central Florida elements of the Moving Florida Forward initiative. FDOT assigned engineers, procurement experts and others to what it’s calling the I-4 Corridor Team.

The agency created the unit to ensure continuity and coordination on the five segments, which run consecutively from Polk to Orange County, said Keith Slater, a professional engineer and the leader of the I-4 Corridor Team.

FDOT announced Tuesday that it will advertise the 5.6-mile eastern Polk project for bids next year. The agency plans a 54-month construction schedule, with $600 million devoted to planning, design and construction for the highway. The design will include provisions for adding a rail corridor in the median area, Ottaviano said.

The other four segments that FDOT officials discussed at Tuesday’s event are in Osceola and Orange counties. The five projects, covering about 15 miles of highway, have a total projected cost of $2.5 billion.

Two express lanes in each direction

The Polk County segment, listed as Project 3 among the five, will add tolled express lanes in the median of I-4, two going in each direction. The express lanes will require drivers to have transponders for tolling in their vehicles or face fines.

Express lanes are designed for “congestion management,” Ottaviano said.

“When you add lanes and they're all general use, meaning they're free lanes, you don't necessarily outbuild congestion,” she said. “So this is why we have a congestion relief tool like express lanes, because what that allows us to do is better manage it so that there always remains a reliable option for people that need to get through traffic.”

In South Florida, some express lanes allow flow in different directions throughout the day to manage traffic flow. FDOT does not plan to use that approach on the Polk County segment, Ottaviano said.

Express lanes also provide the option of “dynamic tolling,” with costs rising in reaction to high traffic in the lanes. Ottaviano said that FDOT does not plan to use such adjusted tolling in the initial phase.

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With the completion of the five projects, drivers will find 40 consecutive miles of express lanes from Polk County through Orlando.

As contractors install the new lanes, FDOT will have the opportunity to add what Ottaviano called modernization elements to I-4, originally constructed beginning in 1958.

Other changes

The Polk County project will also yield a reconstruction of the interchange at I-4 and U.S. 27 and improvements to U.S. 27, said Catalina Chacon, the team’s preconstruction program manager. The team will also coordinate with Polk County on the possibility of extending Grandview Parkway to cross over I-4 just east of U.S. 27, said Kati Sherrard, the team’s construction program manager.

FDOT plans to advertise for the Polk County segment in fiscal year 2025, which begins July 1, 2025. The state had previously listed a start date of 2026. While planning and design will begin next year, drivers likely won’t see construction equipment and orange barrels until 2027, Sherrard said.

The planning of the five Central Florida segments is “intertwined,” Ottaviano said. Though contract bids for the projects will be staggered, FDOT expects the projects to finish at around the same time, Sherrard said.

FDOT provided potential contractors with technical details on the projects during Tuesday’s forum, attended by nearly 400 industry representatives from companies large and small, Ottaviano said.

Moving Florida Forward includes another project in Polk County, the reconstruction of the Interstate 4 interchange at State Road 33, just east of Lakeland. The initiative assigned $197 million for that long-sought replacement.

FDOT announced last year that planning and design would begin in late 2024.

Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Florida DOT designates I-4 widening in east Polk as high priority