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CONSTRUCTION UPDATES:
Church Street closures planned for several weeks

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Nighttime closures on Church Street, under Interstate 4, began this month and are scheduled to continue periodically until November 6.

The series of Church Street closures from Hughey Avenue to Garland Avenue are necessary to allow for bridge construction. Throughout the entire 21-mile I-4 Ultimate project there are 140 bridges that are scheduled for construction, including 13 slated for widening, 53 newly constructed and 74 reconstructed.

Church Street under Interstate 4 (I-4) is scheduled to close, weather permitting, on:

  • September 27-October 16 between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. (excluding Friday evenings to Sunday mornings)
  • November 1-4 continuous closure beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, and ending at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, November 4
  • November 4-6 between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m.
  • In addition to the Church Street closures affecting traffic, access for pedestrians will be closed during these times. Pedestrians may cross under I-4 at Pine Street or South Street.

For up-to-date information, visit I4ultimate.com/churchstreet.


First major I-4 traffic shift to open

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Interstate 4’s first major traffic shift — as part of the I-4 Ultimate improvement project — will open next week on I-4 near Ivanhoe Boulevard. The long-term traffic pattern is relocating the westbound lanes to the west of the existing travel lanes. The entire traffic shift is approximately a half mile long across Lake Ivanhoe.

Work on the traffic shift is scheduled to begin on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 3. Work will occur during the course of two nights to have the new traffic shift in place by 5 a.m. on Oct. 5.

Motorists are advised to maintain a safe speed when driving through the work zone. Concrete barriers are in place to prevent drivers from injuring workers and to stop workers from getting too close to traffic.

“Our goal is to protect the safety of motorists and workers while keeping traffic flowing smoothly and construction moving ahead,” said Loreen Bobo, P.E., I-4 Ultimate Construction Program Manager.

A second major traffic shift is planned for later in October. Between the Fairbanks Avenue and Par Street interchanges, workers are currently building new lanes to the west of the existing westbound travel lanes. This planned traffic shift is approximately one-third of a mile long beginning at the Formosa Avenue overpass.

For more information, including an up-to-date list of lane and ramp closures, visit I4Ultimate.com. Motorists are encouraged to sign up for project newsletters and route-specific alerts through the website to help make informed decisions about when and where to travel.


I-4 Ultimate website wins award

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The I-4 Ultimate website (I4Ultimate.com) was honored this month at the annual American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Transcomm Skills Awards.

The contest, conducted by the AASHTO Subcommittee on Transportation Communication, is the premier communications competition in the transportation industry, and the awards have become a standard of excellence among state departments of transportation. According to the AASHTO Subcommittee on Transportation Communication’s website, the Transcomm Skills Award winners demonstrate the very best examples of innovation, planning, production, execution, and evaluation of results and budget.

The I-4 Ultimate website features a robust content management system with a news scroll on the home page as well as multimedia content for the public and news media. More than 10,000 individuals receive an I-4 Ultimate monthly newsletter and weekly construction alerts by signing up through the website. Other tools on the I-4 Ultimate website include information from Florida’s 511 Traveler Information System, recommended alternate routes and content available for sharing on social media.

“We are honored to have been selected by our peers across the country for this award,” said Loreen Bobo, P.E., I-4 Ultimate Construction Program Manager. "The I-4 Ultimate website is part of a much broader effort on our part to engage the community and transparently share information about Central Florida’s largest infrastructure project.”


Keeping everyone safe at work

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From the tips of their safety-toe boots to the top of their hardhats encircled by a halo of LED lights, workers on the I-4 Ultimate project know that safety is a priority.

Indeed, for some, safety begins when they start their company vehicles each morning. That’s because the corporate-owned vehicles are designed to record and report the driving habits of the person behind the wheel.

If the driver starts the vehicle before putting on a seatbelt, the truck or car knows it and sends a report to safety managers. If the driver goes too fast, that’s another report.

Because much of the work in the field requires physical effort, it’s important to warm up muscles and joints. A daily group activity known as the stretch and flex helps everyone wake up while building comradery.

“We adopted rigorous safety standards that go beyond the legal minimum, delivering extensive safety training and education to both employees and contractors,” said Bill Reed, Environmental Health & Safety Director for SGL and I-4 Ultimate team.

Safety permeates every nook and cranny of the worksite for those who are building the I-4 Ultimate project, which runs 21 miles from west of Kirkman Road to east of State Road 434.

Protections range from the traditional – safety-toe boots – to the innovative – bright LED halo lights for hardhats. Those lights not only make workers visible to equipment operators and oncoming traffic at night, but they also brighten up the area so workers see their tools easily.


Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services (free of charge) should contact Jennifer Smith, FDOT Title VI Coordinator by phone at (386) 943-5367, or via email at jennifer.smith2@dot.state.fl.us. If you are hearing or speech impaired, please contact us by using the Florida Relay Service, 1-800-955-8771 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (Voice).