Are the pedestrian bridges open yet? Once they are open, many of the delays will be greatly reduced. Many guests park near the Casting building, and the lights are timed to give them a very long time to cross the street. There is also a delay caused by pedestrians crossing near the Hilton and SunTrust bank. These lights are a major contributor to the delays.
As far as the backup you see on I-4 as you approach 535, it's been that way for decades on busy nights. It was that way when I first got here in 1988. The backup you encounter if you go past 535 and try to backtrack using the EPCOT exit and Buena Vista Drive is new. It's partly caused by the reduction of the merge lane from the exit off of World Center Drive to Buena Vista Drive. You used to be able to exit without completely stopping. Now, if there is oncoming traffic you have to completely stop.
The light where you turn left into DTD parking, or right into Typhoon Lagoon, is also poorly timed. They have been experimenting with regular timing, or ultra long timing. It's hard to explain, but that light is also a cause of the problems.
I think it will be very easy to get to DTD once both parking garages are open and the construction is complete. It's too early to judge because there is still so much left to do. One thing to remember is that once the new exit directly into the parking garage is complete, no one who plans to visit DTD should be using 535 or the World Center/Buena Vista drive option. This means 535, Hotel Plaza Blvd, and Buena Vista drive should be mostly free of DTD traffic coming from I-4 westbound.
One last thing. Buena Vista drive in front of DTD is under construction and missing lanes. So, again, it's too early to judge.
All this being said...it still absolutely sucks trying to get in and out at night. I do everything I can to avoid it.
