ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The $2.3 billion I-4 Ultimate project is reconstructing 21 miles of interstate from west of Kirkman Road to east of State Road 434 in Longwood. A number of traffic alerts were issued this weekend, informing drivers of road closures and ramp reconfigurations.
SR 408 OVER I-4 CLOSING NIGHTLY (Dec. 7-9): Girder placement in the area of the Interstate 4 (I-4) and State Road (S.R.) 408 interchange continues to be a major focal point of ramp and roadway closures in downtown Orlando.
To safely place girders for the new westbound S.R. 408 exit ramp to westbound I-4, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is temporarily closing both directions of S.R. 408, between Orange Avenue and Parramore Avenue, overnight December 7-9.
On December 7 and 8, westbound S.R. 408 closes at 10 p.m. and eastbound S.R. 408 closes after midnight. Ramps at the I-4 and S.R. 408 interchange will also close to accommodate construction activity. All ramps at the interchange (except westbound S.R. 408 exit to eastbound I-4 and eastbound S.R. 408 exit to westbound I-4) close starting at 11:30 p.m. on December 7-8. All roads and ramp reopen at 8 a.m. the following mornings.
Eastbound and westbound S.R. 408 and all the ramps at the interchange (except westbound S.R. 408 exit to eastbound I-4 and eastbound S.R. 408 exit to westbound I-4) close at 8 p.m. on December 9. The roadway and ramps reopen at 6 a.m. on Monday, December 10.
NEW EB I-4 RAMP CONFIGURATION BETWEEN COLONIAL & LEE (Dec. 8): A temporary ramp system on eastbound Interstate 4 (I-4) that connects entrance and exit ramps between Colonial Drive (State Road 50) and Lee Road (State Road 423) will change again on the morning of Saturday, December 8.
Beginning the night of Friday, December 7, I-4 Ultimate crews will work to shift the eastbound I-4 auxiliary lane (far right lane) from the mainline of eastbound I-4 to the newly constructed elevated travel lanes. These new travel lanes currently serve as the eastbound I-4 exit and entrance ramps between Colonial Drive (State Road 50) and Lee Road (State Road 423).
The auxiliary lane is meant to give motorists a safe distance to merge to and from eastbound I-4. By shifting the auxiliary lane to the new travel lanes, it maintains the same number of travel lanes on I-4. The purpose of this temporary configuration is to create more room to construct permanent eastbound I-4 lanes and accommodate future traffic shifts.
The lane shift will require a one-night closure of the eastbound I-4 exit ramp to Fairbanks Avenue from 9 p.m. on December 7 until 5 a.m. on December 8.
SOUTHBOUND KIRKMAN CLOSURE (Dec. 10): A closure of southbound Kirkman Road (State Road 435) near Interstate 4 (I-4) has been rescheduled from midnight until 5 a.m. on December 10.
This closure was originally scheduled for the morning of December 6. The closure limits are from Major Boulevard to International Drive.
The westbound I-4 exit ramp to southbound Kirkman Road (Exit 75B) will also be closing from 10 p.m. on December 9 until 5 a.m. on December 10.
ONE DIRECTION OF I-4 CLOSING IN MAITLAND (Dec. 10-17): Westbound and eastbound Interstate 4 (I-4) under Maitland Boulevard (State Road 414) are closing at night starting December 10 through December 17 to assist with demolishing the old eastbound Maitland Boulevard bridges.
Westbound I-4 between State Road (S.R.) 436 and Maitland Boulevard is scheduled to close Monday, December 10, from midnight to 5 a.m. Eastbound I-4 between Lee Road (State Road 423) and Maitland Boulevard will close from midnight to 5 a.m. on December 11-14 and 17.
Some interchange ramps may be affected by these nightly closures. Both directions of I-4 will not be closed concurrently. Additional nighttime I-4 closures to complete this operation are anticipated after the New Year.