I-4 Ultimate officials meet with businesses impacted by construction

Amy Biondello gets behind scenes look at I-4 Ultimate meeting

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 has been covering all of the changes that have gone underway on Maitland Boulevard for months now.

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While progress is being made, it is still currently one of the biggest hot spots on the “Big Drive.”

This week, News 6 traffic anchor Amy Biondello went behind the scenes of a meeting between the I-4 ultimate crew and representatives from  businesses located along Maitland Boulevard to get a look at how I-4 officials are helping those businesses cope with the construction.

“There is lot of change happening on Maitland Boulevard. And the growing pains are very real. Just ask anyone who works, lives or travels along this stretch of road,” Biondello said.

Life under construction has been especially challenging for businesses located right in the heart of the “Big Drive.”

For that reason, I-4 and FDOT officials are holding meetings like this one.

"We wanted to invite building managers and some of the larger employers here in the Maitland area to come out and learn a little bit of information about what has already transpired, what work is coming up over the next of weeks and months and then more importantly, what information they can take back to their buildings to help commuters maybe look at some alternate routes that they hadn't considered," I-4 Ultimate Public Information Officer Dave Parks said.

This can be complicated, but I-4 representatives have constructed a system to break it down.

"We split the area in our work zone in Maitland up into four areas -- four quadrants, color coded it, made it real simple for folks to locate where they are and really get the information that matters specific to their location," Parks said.

Their goal is to break it down and offer some possible solutions.

"When you get down to it, every project is really a local neighborhood project. How does it affect me? That's what people really want to know,” Parks said. “So when you can come out like this and talk to people one-on-one and get them a really good idea of what they can expect and then give them some alternatives, give them some suggestions to help maybe lessen that pain during construction."

Even those involved with I-4 Ultimate said that this is prime time to look into commuter alternatives like Sun Rail or carpooling, according to Biondello.

Maitland will be dealing with the “Big Drive” and its construction for a while.


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