I-4 ULTIMATE

FDOT: I-4 Ultimate project complete (Alexa Lorenzo, WFTV.com/WFTV)ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of hours of work along with tons of dirt, asphalt and steel went into the I-4 Ultimate construction project. READ: Deputies continue to search for person who fatally shot man on I-4The I-4 Ultimate project is the largest project the state has ever undertaken. Once just a vision, these days, the express lanes along the 21-mile corridor are saving people from major delays. I-4 Beyond the Ultimate (Florida Department of Transportation)Since completed, finishing touches included art endowments by local artists, city seals throughout, lots of new landscaping and upgraded energy efficient LED lighting. “They are such small details but those small details have made major impacts to these communities,” FDOT’s Jessica Ottaviano said.

Drivers said for the most part everyone followed the marked exit and entrance signs and traffic flowed smoothly.

Trooper Steve says the purpose of these lanes is to provide drivers with an option so they can make the choice if they don’t want to sit with normal traffic.

A driver speeding at 101 mph in the new Express lanes on Interstate 4 was one of 77 people issued speeding tickets in the first weekend toll lanes were open, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The new I-4 Express lanes opened Saturday morning and the Florida Department of Transportation is warning drivers they could take some getting used to.

Drivers will not be charged to access I-4 Express lanes for the first five days of operations.

ORLANDO, Fla. — We’re just days away from the opening of the I-4 express lanes. The biggest part of the transformation will be the addition of express lanes in the center of the interstate. READ: I-4 express lanes: What you need to know ahead of this weekendThe I-4 Ultimate project managers showed us the success seen with express lanes in South Florida, so state leaders wanted to do something similar in Central Florida. “For us, it’s these purple stickers that you can find in the I-4 express lanes.”The stickers are simple, but they are significant. READ: Here’s when the I-4 Ultimate express lanes will openThe information displayed is critical if you find yourself in an emergency situation.

All entrances and exits to the I-4 Express tolling lanes are now marked.

Interstate 4 is preparing to open its express lanes as soon as 10 a.m. Saturday, the Florida Department of Transportation announced.

It’s been seven years since construction began on a key construction project for Interstate 4.

As the I-4 Ultimate Project reaches a major milestone, a key feature of the construction project is set to open soon.

A colorful new sculpture was celebrated on Friday as the newest art installation along Interstate 4.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Crews are on track to complete the I-4 Ultimate project by the end of the year, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. FDOT said this past December, crews finished the final alignment of general-use lanes. This has increased safety on the corridor, drivers will experience fewer lane closures and lane shifts in 2021, according to FDOT. [TRENDING: Woman arrested in hit-run involving sheriff | Gov: Fla. won’t require ‘vaccine passports’ | Girl missing for weeks]AdTransportation officials said crews will finish managed lanes in 2021. Drivers can view a construction schedule and lane closure schedule at this link from the FDOT.

Taxpayers are already largely funding the $2.3 billion construction costs of the I-4 Ultimate Project, started in 2015. With respect to the ongoing project, Skanska and SGL Constructors remain fully committed to successfully completing the I-4 Ultimate project as currently planned,” the statement read. Heckman said Lane will continue to work with Skanska and Granite Construction Company (SGL) to complete the project without any further delays, despite the lawsuit. FDOT said it would hold SGL accountable for finishing the I-4 Ultimate Project by the end of the year. SGL could terminate the I-4 Ultimate Project contract with FDOT and I-4 Mobility Partners if FDOT caused a delay of 180 days or more, according to the lawsuit, which occurred.

click to enlarge Photo courtesy Liliumclick to enlarge Photo courtesy LlilumMove over, I-4 Ultimate – the skies over Orlando may very well look likein a few years.A new partnership between Tavistock Development Company, the city of Orlando and Lillium Aviation, Inc. is moving forward with a plan to bring a "high-speed, electric air mobility network" to Orlando by 2025.Lilium, a German aviation company, got a big ol' green light to construct a 56,000-square-foot air taxi facility ("vertiport") in Orlando, with our City Council approving over $800,000 in tax breaks to the Munich-based Lilum on Monday, as reported by the Orlando Business Journal This vertiport, collaboratively designed by Tavistock and Lilium, will serve Orlando, Tampa and nearby areas.Lilium has designed an all-electric, five-seat vertical takeoff aircraft that it plans to have in the skies by 2025. The aircraft will be able to fly up to 186 miles within one hour of charging up.The planned vertiport – named for the vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet aircraft – will be built in the Lake Nona area, the first of its kind in the United States.And Lilium isn't stopping there. The aviation company plans to make this Lake Nona vertiport a hub for a futuristic transportation network all around the country in the years to come.“Lilium’s establishment of its first U.S. air service in Lake Nona is a groundbreaking addition to the travel options for our residents and visitors,” said Tim Giuliani, president and CEO of the Orlando Economic Partnership, in a press statement. “The company’s revolutionary air transportation technology positions Orlando to lead the nation in regional air mobility.”

Photo via Florida Department of Transportation / I-4 UltimatePlease follow CDC guidelines and Orange County advisories to stay safe, and please support this free publication. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you news on how coronavirus is affecting Central Florida. Sections of the massive Interstate 4 Ultimate project in Central Florida will see accelerated work as the state takes advantage of a coronavirus-created reduction in traffic.Gov. People arent able to go to work. So, theyre able to continue to develop projects and move those projects forward, even in this world.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Construction crews shifted a busy Orlando Interstate 4 exit ramp into its final configuration for the I-4 Ultimate Project, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The I-4 eastbound exit to South Street (Exit 82B), and eastbound entrance ramps from Kaley Avenue and Michigan Street have changed. Changes include:The eastbound I-4 exit ramp to South Street, currently combined with the eastbound I-4 exit to State Road 408, is shifting into its final alignment as soon as Saturday morning. The eastbound I-4 entrance ramp from Michigan Street will close as soon as Friday. Drivers wanting to access eastbound I-4 will need to use the new temporary entrance ramp to eastbound I-4 from Kaley Avenue scheduled to open Saturday morning.

I-4 construction shifts busy exit ramp into final configurationPublished: February 24, 2020, 10:29 amConstruction crews shifted a busy Orlando Interstate 4 exit ramp into its final configuration for the I-4 Ultimate Project, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.

I-4 on ramp to close for six monthsPublished: February 2, 2020, 6:45 pmThe westbound entrance ramp from Colonial Drive to I-4 will be closed for six months.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Construction crews are closing a busy Orlando Interstate 4 on-ramp for at least six months to build new lanes for the I-4 Ultimate Project. Starting as soon as 10 p.m. Sunday, the I-4 westbound entrance ramp from Colonial Drive will be shut down. After the ramp closes, drivers will be directed south on Hughey Avenue for about a mile to the westbound on-ramp at South Street. The WB I-4 entrance ramp from Colonial Dr. is scheduled to close for six months as soon as 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2. In addition to the closure, Colonial Drive under I-4 will also close between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. Feb. 2.

As another year of I-4 construction begins, relief is comingPublished: January 28, 2020, 6:37 pmAs the I-4 Ultimate project enters its fifth year of construction, many motorists are ready for work on the 21 miles of interstate improvements to be complete.

Cole Vanthof said he tries his best to avoid I-4, but he said he needed to use the interstate and didn't realize he couldn't get on I-4 westbound at Lee Road. RELATED: I-4 Ultimate to close Fairbanks Avenue off-ramp through WednesdayPolice are also preventing drivers from using the entrance ramp onto the interstate. The ramp is shut down over the weekend as a temporary shift goes into place on westbound I-4 between Lee Road and Fairbanks Avenue. They are closing the Lee Road on-ramp through Monday morning and the Fairbanks Avenue off-ramp through at least Wednesday. This marks the latest lane shift and closures as part of the I-4 Ultimate Project, which will expand 21 miles of the interstate.

Many drivers missed the latest shift at Maitland Boulevard causing backups along I-4 between Lee Road and State Road 436 as motorists attempted to make a U-Turn at SR 436, according to FDOT. Beginning Wednesday morning, drivers exiting eastbound I-4 to westbound Maitland Boulevard (exit 90B) will begin that shift approximately a quarter of a mile sooner, coupled with the exit point to eastbound Maitland Boulevard (exit 90A). The new combined eastbound exit ramp splits to provide access to both directions of Maitland Boulevard. Eastbound I-4 exit is now in its final configuration and access to eastbound and westbound Maitland Boulevard will remain combined on the same ramp. However, be on the lookout for additional shifts of I-4 ramps at the Maitland interchange, according to FDOT.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The contractor for the I-4 Ultimate project says girder placement is resuming more than two weeks after a worker was killed during a construction site incident. In a statement released Sunday, SGL Constructors said girder erection would proceed along the 21-mile I-4 Ultimate project. "Work will resume with precautionary modifications and safety measures that include expanded girder restraint procedures during installation," the contractor said. The death marked the fifth time a worker was killed since construction on the project began in 2015. Florida Department of Transportation officials said in late September that supervisors went over safety protocols at all work sites.

ORLANDO, Fla. - The commute on Interstate 4 is about to get easier -- at least on the eyes. Public art designed by local creators is coming to one of Central Florida's busiest roadways as early as 2021. The I-4 Ultimate Project Art Endowment Committee has set aside $1.5 million to be distributed among six local communities to design, install and maintain art installations. The art endowment program will reflect the individual character of the many diverse communities along the I-4 Ultimate project corridor, said William McGuinness, project director of SGL Constructors. For more information about the art endowment program, click here.

click to enlarge Photo via Florida Department of Transportation / I-4 UltimateA rendering of I-4 in its massive finished formPhoto via Florida Department of TransportationI-4 under construction during I-4 UltimateRemember when Interstate 4 was named the deadliest highway in the nation in 2017, even beforethe treacherous,-style "I-4 Ultimate" construction began?Now Orlando is receiving $400,000 to create art installations along I-4. It's part of a beautification project to help drivers forget about the "old I-4" once construction (eventually) ends.The money comes from an I-4 Project art endowment set up by I-4 Mobility Partners, the Florida Department of Transportation and SGL Constructors. They are awarding other cities along the I-4 corridor with art installment funds, but Orlando gets the biggest piece of the pie.Maitland received $200,000, Winter Park got $150,000, Altamonte Springs was awarded $200,000, Eatonville got $225,000 and Orange County also received $225,000. Each municipality will be in charge of coming up with their own criteria and application process for artists who seek to hop on the project.The announcement for the beautification project comes at a time when I-4 Ultimate doesn't exactly look pretty. There have been four reported deaths and dozens of injuries amid the reconstruction and widening of the 21-mile stretch of interstate, according to an Orlando Sentinel analysis The project is still nearly a year overdue from its projected early 2021 completion date, and at least $100 million over budget.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The I-4 Ultimate is on target to be completed in 2021, the original date of completion, and the massive project remains on budget, state transportation officials said Thursday. The announcement from the Florida Department of Transportation comes amid a claim from I-4 Mobility Partners, the concessionaire of the project, seeking more money and time to complete the project. "The department is in the process of reviewing this claim," FDOT spokesman Steve Olson said in a statement. Olson said FDOT is working with its construction partners, and I-4 Mobility is implementing mitigation strategies to reduce impacts. "No time extensions or financial considerations have been granted to the contractor from FDOT," Olson said.