i-4 Ultimate
 

November 2018

 
IN THIS UPDATE
* Eastbound I-4 Exit Ramps Changing at Par St. and Fairbanks Ave.
* FDOT and Law Enforcement Remind Drivers to Maintain Safe Speeds Throughout I-4 Ultimate Work Zones
* I-4 Ultimate Construction Closures Suspended for the Holiday Weekend
* FDOT Wins National Award for I-4 Ultimate News Release Media Campaign
* USF Engineering Students Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at I-4 Ultimate
 
 
 

Eastbound I-4 Exit Ramps Changing at Par St. and Fairbanks Ave.

 

Eastbound Interstate 4 (I-4) between downtown Orlando and Maitland is getting closer to completion thanks to a series of roadway shifts and the hard work of construction crews.

As soon as the morning of November 20, the eastbound I-4 exit to Par Street (Exit 86) and Fairbanks Avenue (Exit 87) will shift back nearly 1.5 miles to combine with the exit ramp to Princeton Street (Exit 85).

Click to expand

This shift also will open the permanent eastbound I-4 entrance ramp from Ivanhoe Boulevard, which will join with this new road. In addition to changing how some motorists exit eastbound I-4, it may also slightly alter how they enter eastbound I-4.

Motorists seeking to enter eastbound I-4 from Garland Avenue/Colonial Drive (State Road 50), Ivanhoe Boulevard and Princeton Street will follow signage and use this roadway to travel to the existing eastbound I-4 entrance ramp just beyond Princeton Street.

Multiple roadway and ramp shifts along this stretch within the last year have allowed crews to keep traffic moving while also demolishing old ramps, completing bridge work and paving the roadways.

For more information about these shifts, you can view video, photos and more at i4ultimate.com/EBI4. The webpage will be updated regularly to reflect the latest shifts.

You may also visit i4ultimate.com/signup to receive updates on changes to eastbound I-4 and other aspects of the project.

 
 
 
 

FDOT and Law Enforcement Remind Drivers to Maintain Safe Speeds Throughout I-4 Ultimate Work Zones

 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and local law enforcement agencies are banding together to remind drivers to maintain safe speeds throughout the I-4 Ultimate work zone.

The speed limit ranges from 50 to 60 mph across the project. Changing traffic patterns, an increased number of workers on the project and — above all else — safety are just some of the factors that FDOT and law enforcement want drivers to bear in mind while driving through the 21-mile work zone.

To date, there have been more than 150 traffic shifts on the project. Driving the speed limit ensures that motorists have ample time to comprehend the changing traffic patterns and safely navigate the new configurations.

The I-4 Ultimate work zone also is more active than ever. The project currently employs 1,065 craft workers and about 500 subcontractors. Maintaining a safe speed allows drivers to be more vigilant, and decreases the risk of crashing in a work zone.

FDOT and law enforcement are increasing visibility for its safe speed campaign by:

  • Conducting additional traffic enforcement operations
  • Posting messaging on billboards
  • Airing radio public safety announcements
  • Tweeting weekly via @I4Ultimate
  • Providing shareable videos and social media content on I4Ultimate.com/safespeed

Drive the speed limit. It makes the road safer for you, your passengers, other drivers and the crews working to improve I-4.

 
 
 
 

I-4 Ultimate Construction Closures Suspended for the Holiday Weekend

 

To help ease traffic congestion during busy holiday travel, planned construction closures along the I-4 Ultimate project will be suspended.

All lane and ramp closures on Interstate 4 (I-4) over the Thanksgiving travel period will be suspended between Wednesday, November 21, and Sunday, November 25, minimizing potential traffic delays for motorists during the holiday travel season.

While all lanes of I-4 will remain open to accommodate expected additional traffic during the holiday, some crews still will be out working along the project. Motorists need to continue to drive responsibly through the work zone.

Drivers can visit I4Ultimate.com/alerts to learn more about planned closures and sign up to receive personalized email and text alerts to stay informed.

 
 
 
 

FDOT Wins National Award for I-4 Ultimate News Release Media Campaign

 

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently won a national award for its news release to notify local media of the long-term closure of Hughey Avenue between Church Street and South Street.

This is FDOT’s second award from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) TransComm Skills Contest for the I-4 Ultimate project. In 2015, FDOT won an award for the project website, i4Ultimate.com.

The TransComm Skills Contest is conducted annually by AASHTO’s Committee on Transportation Communication to recognize outstanding work by public relations practitioners in the field of transportation communication. The contest awards have become a standard of public relations excellence among state departments of transportation.

The winning I-4 Ultimate news release explained why the long-term closure of Hughey Avenue is needed to create a safe work zone as part of the Interstate 4 (I-4) and State Road 408 interchange construction. An informational handout with detour maps, an animated construction sequence video and an online media kit accompanied the news release.

Anyone can sign up to receive news releases from the I-4 Ultimate project. All project news releases are posted to i4Ultimate.com. Anytime a news release or project article is posted to the website, an email is sent to all subscribers.

 
 
 
 

USF Engineering Students Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at I-4 Ultimate

SGL's Area 4 Superintendent Adam Wolff (left) takes USF students on a tour of the construction site near the I-4 and S.R. 436 interchange.
 

A group of post-graduate civil engineering students visited the I-4 Ultimate project from the University of South Florida (USF) in early November.

SGL Constructors – the joint venture of Skanska, Granite and Lane – gladly gave them a look inside the project and showed the future engineers what awaits them after school.

The seven USF students were welcomed into the Area 4 construction office in Altamonte Springs, where Phil Hernandez, SGL’s Areawide Equipment Manager, explained the in-depth process of hiring and training equipment operators for all of the various tasks along the 21-mile project.

M.D. Hoque, a civil engineering Ph.D. candidate at USF, was awed by the detailed training and the size of the team deployed along Interstate 4 (I-4).

“I was surprised that [SGL] used a new method of training with simulators to learn how to operate heavy machinery,” Hoque said.

Rakesh Rangaswamy, Ph.D. candidate, said the I-4 Ultimate Project is “beyond our imagination.”

Students were escorted to a live construction site near the I-4 and State Road (S.R.) 436 interchange, where they observed heavy machinery in action, the construction of a mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) wall and had the opportunity to talk with one of SGL’s field engineers.

Hoque said the site visit was overwhelming.

“The challenges of implementing a project like this are immense,” he said, “and it is great to see how you guys are managing things with precision.”

Shrut Shah, civil engineering master’s student, would like to be a part of a project on the scale of I-4 Ultimate.

“[A large project] gives you more time to gain different types of experience and work with different types of people and experience unusual things,” Shah said.

The future civil engineers returned to Tampa inspired to make an impact in their profession.

“These projects can transform an entire landscape,” Hoque said. “The Orlando downtown area and the businesses around it will be immensely benefitted… That makes me excited.”