ORLANDO, Fla. – Many drivers who travel overnight or during the early hours of the morning have probably gotten stuck behind a rolling roadblock before.
While these roadblocks slow traffic to those who get stuck behind them, it’s a common practice that maximizes efficiency in both drives and road projects by allowing the highway to remain open.
This week, News 6 traffic anchor Amy Biondello went behind the scenes as I-4 Ultimate Project officials conducted a pacing operation overnight to see what goes into setting up and executing rolling roadblocks along the Big Drive.
“While the overnight might be a quiet time for many of us, that's not always the case for those working on the Big Drive,” Biondello said.
"I don't think people understand how much coordination actually goes into doing some of these operations on a nightly basis," Skanska USA Project Maintenance of Traffic manager David Feise said.
The rolling roadblock began approximately six miles back from where the actual work was taking place. Workers slowly moved cars along I-4, allowing them enough time to work overhead as they set new bridge beams.
"It's a pretty common traffic control procedure which it's a benefit to public because we're not shutting the highway down and detouring people," Feise said. "Yes it might be inconvenient, but it's better to the alternative. The alternative would be to shut the highway down and force somebody into a detour route."
Planning one of the road blocks takes a lot of coordination and prep work.
"The planning starts for these up to a month in advance if not more. We pick the locations, we look at how much time is needed to do the work, do a calculation about how much time we'll gain if we are going X miles an hour and that will determine where we start and where we end," Feise said.
It's not only a big effort on man power for I-4 workers and the Department of Transportation, but also for usually no less than ten required police officers.
"And honestly, we wouldn't be able to do it without them,” Feise said.