I-4 photos

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm working on an I-4 photo album on my present Florida trip.  I completed the first segment between I-75 west to I-275 in Tampa this morning.  I'm hoping to have the rest of the route west from Daytona by tomorrow:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskQDrPPJ

[nexus73]

The part I am looking forward to is the section running through Orlando.  There is supposed to be a lot of improvements there!

Rick

[Max Rockatansky]

The part I am looking forward to is the section running through Orlando.  There is supposed to be a lot of improvements there!

Rick

About done with FL 50, heading that way next.

[Max Rockatansky]

I have about 300 photos I need to sort through from I-4 from I-95 west to I-75 that I took today.  I drove through downtown Orlando into the heart of the I-4 (whatever they are calling I-4 Ultimate these days) construction.  The highway alignment is all over the place at present moment with almost total construction throughout the City of Orlando.  Traffic was slow enough to see the new ramps for the 408 Tollway pretty clearly.  I would imagine that once this is all finished I-4 will be far more tenable in Orlando, but its a rough ride in present state.  The new six lane segment west of I-95 was a welcome addition, hopefully that will shut all those people up who think that segment was haunted rather than being under capacity.

[roadman65]

I saw finally at Millenia there is no more zig zags between Kirkman and John Young.  That was awful going between three separate alignments.  Also the cd road between the Turnpike and Conroe is gone.

[kevinb1994]

I saw finally at Millenia there is no more zig zags between Kirkman and John Young.  That was awful going between three separate alignments.  Also the cd road between the Turnpike and Conroe is gone.

That's definitely good news as both were a PITA to navigate when going to and from Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World.

[Max Rockatansky]

Uploaded the rest of my I-4 pictures and deleted the place holder album.  I uploaded the full album which can be found in the original post and here as well:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskQDrPPJ

What can I say, construction through Orlando is an absolute disaster these days.  But then driving the I-4 corridor was never really a smooth experience so I say its for the best.  The segment between FL 417 to US 17/92 and FL 50 was by the worse with the ongoing construction straightening the alignment of I-4.  The worst bog down spot was FL 408 which is no surprise given how substandard the existing ramp is.  On the whole I'd say everything went about as well as it could have but I'd hate to be in downtown Orlando during rush hour.  Aside from the massive glut of traffic I don't particularly have many complaints about the rest of I-4, it seemed to be functioning well.  I'll be curious to see how the new I-95 ramp is once it is complete, the old ramp wasn't exactly a pleasant experience and was downright confusing in construction configuration.

[nexus73]

3-lane minimum for the entire length?  If so, someone in Florida was thinking!  The distance from one end of I-4 to the other would be considered a short jaunt here in the West.

Rick

[Max Rockatansky]

3-lane minimum for the entire length?  If so, someone in Florida was thinking!  The distance from one end of I-4 to the other would be considered a short jaunt here in the West.

Rick

Used to drop to two-lanes each way east of Sanford but that section was recently expanded, so that's correct about six lanes minimum the entire way.  What it lacks in length I-4 makes up for in traffic.  I'd personally rank right up there at times for some of the worst traffic in the country.   

[roadman65]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

[Max Rockatansky]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

The current signage is awful in the construction zone.  There is a tiny misshapen I-4 shield on a white blank directing traffic onto I-4 west from I-95 northbound.  The VMS was no help given it was in an odd position, the only thing that I found useful was the painted US 92 shield;

https://flic.kr/p/2ec6ccY

[kevinb1994]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

That's something I wasn't really aware of prior to your post.

[kevinb1994]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

The current signage is awful in the construction zone.  There is a tiny misshapen I-4 shield on a white blank directing traffic onto I-4 west from I-95 northbound.  The VMS was no help given it was in an odd position, the only thing that I found useful was the painted US 92 shield;

https://flic.kr/p/2ec6ccY

Hopefully the replacement signage will be less awful, if only somewhat less awful, than the current signage.

[Max Rockatansky]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

The current signage is awful in the construction zone.  There is a tiny misshapen I-4 shield on a white blank directing traffic onto I-4 west from I-95 northbound.  The VMS was no help given it was in an odd position, the only thing that I found useful was the painted US 92 shield;

https://flic.kr/p/2ec6ccY

Hopefully the replacement signage will be less awful, if only somewhat less awful, than the current signage.

One of the new BGSs was obsecured by black cloth.  Really the temporary configuration could use it's own BGS given the split in I-4 West from US 92 isn't exactly apparent. 

[kevinb1994]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

The current signage is awful in the construction zone.  There is a tiny misshapen I-4 shield on a white blank directing traffic onto I-4 west from I-95 northbound.  The VMS was no help given it was in an odd position, the only thing that I found useful was the painted US 92 shield;

https://flic.kr/p/2ec6ccY

Hopefully the replacement signage will be less awful, if only somewhat less awful, than the current signage.

One of the new BGSs was obsecured by black cloth.  Really the temporary configuration could use it's own BGS given the split in I-4 West from US 92 isn't exactly apparent.

Yeah maybe that could work, but I won't count on FDOT to do it.

[roadman65]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

That's something I wasn't really aware of prior to your post.

Yup, every week on Orlando traffic reports you would here that particular ramp shut down completely due to a semi rolling over.  It was normal for a long time for us in Orlando to hear that US 92 was to be used while cops investigate the scene.

[kevinb1994]

The I-95 ramp at the end is much needed as trucks would constantly jacknife around that curve.  Every week the road was closed due to some semi driver not paying attention or trying to drive too fast.

That will be something when completed.

That's something I wasn't really aware of prior to your post.

Yup, every week on Orlando traffic reports you would here that particular ramp shut down completely due to a semi rolling over.  It was normal for a long time for us in Orlando to hear that US 92 was to be used while cops investigate the scene.

Yeah that's not something I'd know about as we're not from the area nor do we use I-4 all that often.

[adventurernumber1]

That is an incredible collection of pictures for Interstate 4. Thank you for posting! 

That stretch of I-4 near its east end was indeed in desperate need of both a widening and a resurfacing (that pavement looked really rough just a few years ago!), so I am pleased to see the finished product of that.

While construction is indeed hell right now, I will be extremely excited to see the final product of the I-4 Ultimate project whenever it is done. Hopefully traffic will flow much better when it is - as I-4, like many of the roads in Orlando - has been in a pretty sticky situation in regards to traffic congestion.

The last time I've been on Interstate 4 (and the second last time I've been to Florida - the last time being in August 2014 to the panhandle) was in Orlando in April 2014. Seeing those pictures of I-4 trough the southwestern part of the city brought back a rush of nostalgia from driving on that stretch of road many times during that trip. Of course the traffic sucked, but that could not stop my roadgeek heart from still being engulfed in euphoria while being on this road! 

[Max Rockatansky]

Worked up the I-4 photos from my recent trip into a blog featuring the entire highway.  Seeing the "Dead Zone" between Daytona and DeLand was definitely an odd but welcome sight.  Downtown Orlando in the midst of the I-4 Ultimate project was a pain in the ass to drive even during the middle of the day.  It will be interesting to see what the end product of I-4 Ultimate is when it is completed in a couple years.  Not a great deal has changed west of Orlando all the way to I-275 in Tampa.

https://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2019/02/interstate-4-floridas-fury-road.html

[UCFKnights]

My understanding is the next phase of I-4 [Beyond the] Ultimate is scheduled to begin prior to completion of the current project, so construction will be ongoing for more than just a few more years, at least on the south side.

[kevinb1994]

My understanding is the next phase of I-4 [Beyond the] Ultimate is scheduled to begin prior to completion of the current project, so construction will be ongoing for more than just a few more years, at least on the south side.

Yeah it's just going to move the pain further down the road until all work is complete eventually.

[D-Dey65]

The current reconstruction plans for I-4 are available from FDOT online, right?

Because when I was zig-zagging through all that construction, it looked like they might've just been making CD roads, although I suspect I might be wrong.

[pianocello]

The current reconstruction plans for I-4 are available from FDOT online, right?

Because when I was zig-zagging through all that construction, it looked like they might've just been making CD roads, although I suspect I might be wrong.

https://i4ultimate.com/project-info/future-i-4/

I'm not entirely sure which section you're referring to, but I'd be willing to bet it's probably more than just CD roads. In the downtown area, I'm pretty sure what they're working on now are the new general lanes for I-4, set up a few feet higher than the existing road. When that's done, they'll have to demolish the existing structure and build the new express lanes in their place.

[D-Dey65]

The current reconstruction plans for I-4 are available from FDOT online, right?

Because when I was zig-zagging through all that construction, it looked like they might've just been making CD roads, although I suspect I might be wrong.

https://i4ultimate.com/project-info/future-i-4/

I'm not entirely sure which section you're referring to, but I'd be willing to bet it's probably more than just CD roads. In the downtown area, I'm pretty sure what they're working on now are the new general lanes for I-4, set up a few feet higher than the existing road. When that's done, they'll have to demolish the existing structure and build the new express lanes in their place.

Thanks, I didn't see that when I was looking for it.  For the record, the area I went through was everything north of FL Toll 408 to FL 46, and the zig zagging I was doing was in Downtown Orlando, Winter Park, and Maitland. I see that they're also relocating the access ramps to and from the westbound rest area in a manner similar to the northbound Dale City rest area along I-95 in Virginia. I don't know about you, but I suspect that might create a problem for tractor-trailers.

[Max Rockatansky]

The current reconstruction plans for I-4 are available from FDOT online, right?

Because when I was zig-zagging through all that construction, it looked like they might've just been making CD roads, although I suspect I might be wrong.

https://i4ultimate.com/project-info/future-i-4/

I'm not entirely sure which section you're referring to, but I'd be willing to bet it's probably more than just CD roads. In the downtown area, I'm pretty sure what they're working on now are the new general lanes for I-4, set up a few feet higher than the existing road. When that's done, they'll have to demolish the existing structure and build the new express lanes in their place.

Thanks, I didn't see that when I was looking for it.  For the record, the area I went through was everything north of FL Toll 408 to FL 46, and the zig zagging I was doing was in Downtown Orlando, Winter Park, and Maitland. I see that they're also relocating the access ramps to and from the westbound rest area in a manner similar to the northbound Dale City rest area along I-95 in Virginia. I don't know about you, but I suspect that might create a problem for tractor-trailers.

That was an issue when I rolled through last month.  Traffic was grinding to a halt in downtown not because of a high volume of vehicles but rather truckers with long loads were having a difficult time navigating the construction zone.  The worst spot was south of Colonial in particular.