Work Underway on Temporary Configuration for EB I-4 Exits to S.R. 408 and South St.

I-4 Ultimate crews are busy building a temporary configuration of the eastbound Interstate 4 (I-4) exit ramps to State Road (S.R.) 408 and South Street that are scheduled to open as soon as this spring.

The temporary configuration will move the eastbound I-4 exit to South Street and combine it with the eastbound I-4 exit to S.R. 408. The exit ramp will consist of two lanes with the left lane continuing to South Street and the right lane heading toward S.R. 408.

The temporary ramp configuration will be in place for approximately 18 months, giving construction crews a safe workspace to demolish the old bridges over I-4 and Division Avenue that these ramps will no longer use. To accomplish this construction activity, the eastbound I-4 exit ramp to S.R. 408 will be diverted. The S.R. 408 exit ramp will be temporarily relocated next to Division Avenue and Gore Street. For safety, a barrier wall will separate the ramp from the local roads, and no access will be available between the ramp and those nearby streets.

Stay tuned to the I-4 Ultimate project for updates on when the temporary ramp configuration is scheduled by:

• Signing up for the I-4 Ultimate Advance Construction Alert System to receive text or email alerts.
• Following @i4Ultimate on Twitter.
• Subscribing to I-4 Ultimate newsfeed to receive an email when news is posted to the project website.

African Delegation Meets I-4 Ultimate Representatives

The I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project continues to draw international interest.

Twelve current and emerging leaders from African countries, such as Niger, Mauritius and Zambia stopped in Central Florida recently to learn about the I-4 Ultimate project — part of their U.S. fact-finding tour to learn about transportation and traffic safety.

The delegation’s visit was arranged through the World Affairs Council of Central Florida’s International Visitor Leadership Program, a professional exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. This visit focused on the role of government in providing a safe transportation infrastructure. While in Florida, the delegation met with numerous groups, including the University of Central Florida’s Transportation Research Group, Valencia College School of Public Safety, and Orlando’s transportation development department.

“As the visit was focused on traffic safety, and the I-4 Ultimate project is so grand with constantly changing roads, I thought it might be useful for those abroad who may have other traffic issues, but really could benefit from the practices (the project) is currently putting into place,” said Heather van Dyk, project manager for World Affairs Council of Central Florida.

“Aside from the fact that I was fascinated on it being an ambitious project, I also was thrilled by the level of safety measures that were put in place to ensure people’s safety,” said Simon Patrick Obi, founder and executive director of the GreenLight Initiative in Nigeria

During the visit, Paul Wabi, P.E., who is the I-4 Ultimate Construction Program Manager for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), shared information about the project and explained why improvements were necessary at each interchange.

Desire Shaba, station manager for the Road Transport and Safety Agency in Zambia, was impressed with how the I-4 Ultimate project was planned, organized, and implemented sustainably in a difficult terrain and limited working space.

“It takes planners, designers, and artisans with great minds, skills and a self-motivated team with high level of dedication to bring different components together and to have such a big project become a reality with little disturbance to the environment, motorists and the general public,” Shaba said.

Upon returning to Africa, members of the delegation, who work in areas such as law enforcement, traffic management, safety agencies, and communications, intend to use the information they learned to address traffic safety problems.

Changes to Temporary EB I-4 Ramp System Provide Options

Earlier this month, I-4 Ultimate crews opened a second travel lane on the eastbound Interstate 4 (I-4) temporary ramp system between New Hampshire Street and Winter Park Street. This second lane increases capacity and provides more space for vehicles to continue from downtown Orlando along eastbound I-4.

The eastbound I-4 temporary ramp system is an interim phase of the I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project. The current configuration of the temporary ramp system serves on-ramps to eastbound I-4 from Amelia Street and Garland Avenue/Colonial Drive (State Road 50), as well as exit and entrance ramps at the Princeton Street interchange, eastbound exit to Par Street and exit and entrance ramps at the Fairbanks Avenue interchange. The purpose of this interim phase is to provide construction crews safe work zones to continue building new permanent eastbound I-4 travel lanes while maintaining access to local roadways.

As a reminder, motorists can directly enter eastbound I-4 mainline from downtown Orlando by using the on-ramp at Anderson Street. An illustration of all eastbound ramp options is available at fdot.tips/ebi4temp.

The temporary on-ramp from Ivanhoe Boulevard that led directly into the eastbound I-4 mainline was closed this month for construction. The on-ramp to the temporary ramp system from Ivanhoe Boulevard remains open.

As construction continues on the new eastbound I-4 travel lanes, motorists should expect daily lane closures on the temporary ramp system during non-peak traffic times.

The I-4 Ultimate project team expects completion of the eastbound I-4 general use lanes, between Ivanhoe Boulevard and Lee Road, in summer 2019. Once complete, the temporary ramp system will be replaced with more traditional ramp access.

Hughey Ave. at Church Street Reopens

I-4 Ultimate crews reopened in January two lanes on Hughey Avenue between Church Street and South Street.

This section of Hughey Avenue had been closed since late 2017 for construction of the flyover exit ramp from westbound Interstate 4 (I-4) to State Road 408.

The left lane adjacent to I-4 on Hughey Avenue will remain closed for construction. The reopened lanes may be subject to nightly closures for construction activities and for events at the Amway Center.

Spotlight Profile:
I-4 Ultimate Equipment Management Team
I-4 Ultimate Group Keeps Track of 1,700 Vehicles and Pieces of Equipment

With more than 1,700 backhoes, bulldozers, dump trucks, cranes, front-end loaders, asphalt pavers, light towers, mobile electronic signs, and much more to track and maintain, the I-4 Ultimate Equipment Management Team keeps very busy.

Indeed, the group operates 24/7 to support the project’s round-the-clock construction activities and the many crews who are building the 21-mile corridor that will transform Interstate 4 (I-4) in Central Florida.

Among the duties performed by the 20-member team are procuring and assigning equipment as needed and then tracking hours of usage, location of equipment, and ensuring all safety features are up-to-date. And if that weren’t enough, they also check maintenance schedules and perform on-site maintenance, including working on all cranes, whether owned by the team or rented.

The equipment management group is part of SGL – the construction joint venture team of Skanska, Granite and Lane for the I-4 Ultimate project. While some equipment repairs may require bringing in specialists that the team oversees, the group is responsible for seeing that all SGL-owned maintenance trucks are fully functional and supplied fuel, oil, and all the basic supplies necessary for field location maintenance and repairs. Team members also schedule operator training and review operator/equipment evaluations to ensure safety and minimize wear and tear on machinery.

While you might expect to find pickup trucks, SUVs, excavators, rollers, graders, trailers, pile-driving hammers, 500-gallon tanks, welders and pumps among the pieces of equipment for which the team is responsible. It surprises many to hear that the team also manages more than 30 barges and floatable work platforms and several small boats for working in and around the many lakes near the interstate.

The SGL Equipment Department is overseen by Equipment Manager Phil Hernandez, General Equipment Superintendents Garry Moores and Jason Wise and Senior Maintenance Engineer Michael Francis.