LAKE MARY, Fla. – Lake Mary could become the latest city to call on the Florida Department of Transportation to speed up work on the long-awaited “I-4 Beyond the Ultimate” expansion.
City leaders are expected to vote Thursday night on a resolution supporting the expedited completion of Segments 3 and 4 of the multibillion-dollar project. Deltona officials passed a similar resolution earlier this year.
Segment 3, which comes with a $900 million price tag, includes widening nearly 9 miles of I-4, rebuilding 25 bridges and redesigning the Lake Mary Boulevard and County Road 46A interchanges into diverging diamonds to help reduce congestion. Segment 4, stretching from Seminole County into Volusia County, carries another $987 million cost.
[WATCH BELOW: Dynamic tolls kick off on I-4 Express lanes]
Many drivers say the wait for improvements has been frustrating.
“It is a nightmare. It’s absolutely a nightmare during rush hour,” said Kirk Doering, a local commuter. “And that’s even not rush hour, it just bombs up there, no matter what.”
Mary Lyda, another commuter, said she’s hoping relief comes sooner rather than later.
“I hope they speed up the process,” Lyda said. “The sooner, the better.”
The Florida Department of Transportation said this week it is in the procurement phase to hire a design engineer to develop updated conceptual plans, with a selection expected in September.
FDOT has not yet released a timeline for when construction on Segments 3 and 4 will begin.
If approved, Lake Mary’s resolution will add to growing pressure on state transportation officials to prioritize the northeast stretch of I-4, where commuters say backups remain a daily challenge.
[WATCH BELOW: No more cash payments for drivers paying tolls on SR-417]