I-4 and 192 Construction

[Ralph Wiggum]

we've been fighting the Lakeland to WDW construction coming from Tampa on the weekends. Can anyone recommend a different route around the construction that the new 192 area mess has created?

 

[10 min. to wdw]

When is construction on I-4 scheduled to be over? I ask because on our next Disney trip either late this year or next year will probably include a trip to BGT to ride Shiekra and I definitely don't want to deal with that mess.

the 192 and I-4 interchange is supposed to be done in 2007, if you don't want to deal with that area it is easy to avoid.

from your listed location in GA, you could come down I-75 to the FL turnpike then get off at US 27 and travel south to us 192 then onto world drive and you really don't (at this point) have any construction to deal with just a little narrow section of road (lasts about 300 feet).

Coming that route (27 to 192 to World Drive) the only construction you will hit on 192 is where the new overpass is going in for the 417.

thats actually the 429 toll road constuction. I haven't heard any confirmed plans to extend 417. I have heard rummors of extending it but on the Sanford end.

 

[Figment1986]

I live in Bartow and usually take State road 17 through Haines City and Davenport to SR 54. Following other backroads I come out on the Disney property at Animal Kingdom. It takes me 45 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. That is also my shortcut to the House of Blues. I know some Disney Castmembers who use that route to avoid 27, I-4, and 192.

wait.. in a way their is a route to take to get to orlando using SR 54.....

Wow.. I need to get out some olde maps and check that..... Cause where i am they are getting ready to make an adition to SR 56..... (which is part of SR 54..) :lol: :hammer:

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

anyone want to start paying state income taxes so we can get more than 6 guys working on this project? there are more cops involved in the rolling roadblocks than any amount of workers on the site.

oh well, it beats living in Illinois.

 

[MissM]

I've lived in Florida for 20 years. And, I only wish I were joking when I say that I-4 has been under construction at one point or another for as long as I've lived here.

The problem with just about every other route is that it's so utterly and completely out of your way. And often small two lane roads. The only real route is I-4 and that's why it's such a mess.

More information then you ever wanted to know about I-4: here or even here.

Paralleling original U.S. 92 across the state, Interstate 4 is a major transportation corridor that is inadequate at four lanes. Various construction programs are programmed to improve the capacity of Interstate 4 in various locations, but funding the expansion remains an obstacle.
(that's an understatement!)
​

This is an amusing article about being stuck on I-4.

And here is a page dedicated to the I-4/192 section of the road.

The new interchange will improve traffic flow between I-4 and US 192 and includes enhanced ramp designs, better drainage, and provides a wider space for future I-4 lanes. The project is expected to be completed in 2007 at a cost of $58.9 million.
(oh is that all? such a deal )
​

There's also a page dedicated to driving and navigating through the construction and conditions on I-4 here along with notice of the "511" service that gives automated, real-time conditions on the road.

Anyway...sorry. Clearly you can see I start looking something up and get all tangenty. *chuckles* It's just amazing that the only major route has been so utterly useless and broken for so very long.
-m

 

[10 min. to wdw]

I hate that 511 service I can be stuck in traffic and you call it and it say's "traffic is moving fine through the ******* area" or when it talks about a problem most of the time its already cleared. I have friends who work on I-4 trying to keep it moving (not police) and normally if I run into a problem I call one of them, they can normally tell me whats going on.

I still can't understand that 192 interchange problem its much better then most other major interchanges along I-4.

as for stupid projects on I-4 the new John Young Parkway on/off flyover Idea takes the cake the area was always backed up to the point where a extra lane be nice, so what do the do they put the flyover so close to the highway that they won't be able to add another lane now without completely ripping down the over pass.

 

[CRJpilot]

and people wonder why I fly...sheesh. I swear that stretch of road is one of the worst in FL. I'm lucky..I don't deal with much of it since I come from Daytona. From what I can tell this construction will be never ending...half the time I deal with it there's never even any work going on. I mean come on..finish something, and free up a botleneck so you can move on. They just ripped everything apart at the same time whcih turned it into a major cluster****

/End Rant

 

[Ralph Wiggum]

we need a huge bullet monorail with stops in FT Myers, Siesta Key, Brandon (for me), Orlando (midway between WDW and UO), any nude areas in South Beach, and Marathon or Key West. let's get the petition going. topless is optional, and drinks are always free to the ladies.

 

[CRJpilot]

Sounds good to me....But I like free boat drinks for all.
Brandon eh? My family still lives in Brandon. I was born there, lived in Seffner...all of like around the corner.

 

[Lokheed]

thats actually the 429 toll road constuction. I haven't heard any confirmed plans to extend 417. I have heard rummors of extending it but on the Sanford end.

Ah, yes, you are absolutely correct. Too many numbers jumbled up in my head. The overpass going in over 192 near Orange Lake is the 429 extension that will connect I-4 all the way up to Hwy 50 and beyond. I drive up 545 (Avalon) fairly regulary and see the rest of that construction. They have really gone into overdrive in the past few months.

 

[macopia]

You can find constuction information at http://www.trans4mation.org for the greater Orlando area and at http://www.i4polk.com for Polk county (between Tampa and WDW).

 

[d_gil]

You guys got me worried as hell ! HELP !

Hi all,
i am not from the u.s.a and i plan a trip to orlando/tampa this september.
i read and heard about the i-4 conditions but did not know it was THAT bad.

my plan is to drive from universal studios at the 15th of september (THU)
to tampa BG erea in the late afternoon/evening.
stay at la quinta inn for 3 nights and head out of tampa on the 18th (SUN) straight to kennedy centre early in the morning.

How early should i get out of tampa ?
is the traffic not as bad in the early morning hours??
if i leave universal/orlando at around 17:00 or 18:00 , am i going to get stuck for hours on the road ?!?

After reading this post i think i better do the ride from orlando to tampa by train - i guess amtrak has a way of getting there?

Do i have to take the i-4 to get from tampa to kennedy centre?
(take note im not likley to go through small side roads and stuff because im not from the erea and want to stick to more common roads...)

any help would be welcomed!
thanks in advance,
Gil

 

[Tyffni]

Bullet Train

We actually voted on a bullet train from Tampa to Orlando and it was approved but then when people saw how much it was going to cost us to make it, they "revisited" the idea the next vote around. At that time it was then denied. It's sad really because I was in love with this idea, no more traffic to my favorite place AND I wouldn't be the one doing the driving.

Part of the bigger issue was that our greedy Disney would not allow it to stop there if it stopped at Universal. Darn Michael Eisner.

 

[Tyffni]

I-4 construction

I just used the AAA TripTik to look at the construction between I75 and US192 on I-4. This is what it said...

Construction/delays likely: I 4; West of Exit 28 to west of Exit 31
Construction/delays possible: I-4; Exit 32
Construction/delays likely: I-4; Exit 38 to Exit 55
Construction/delays possible: I-4; Polk County line to US 192


Isn't that almost the entire road? What's really scary are the semi's on those lane shifts at night!

 

[d_gil]

Hi all,
i am not from the u.s.a and i plan a trip to orlando/tampa this september.
i read and heard about the i-4 conditions but did not know it was THAT bad.

my plan is to drive from universal studios at the 15th of september (THU)
to tampa BG erea in the late afternoon/evening.
stay at la quinta inn for 3 nights and head out of tampa on the 18th (SUN) straight to kennedy centre early in the morning.

How early should i get out of tampa ?
is the traffic not as bad in the early morning hours??
if i leave universal/orlando at around 17:00 or 18:00 , am i going to get stuck for hours on the road ?!?

After reading this post i think i better do the ride from orlando to tampa by train - i guess amtrak has a way of getting there?

Do i have to take the i-4 to get from tampa to kennedy centre?
(take note im not likley to go through small side roads and stuff because im not from the erea and want to stick to more common roads...)

any help would be welcomed!
thanks in advance,
Gil

Well just found out the amtrak service is not that good for tampa and only goes on weekends
still looking for some answears for the above questions...

 

[TomDisney]

My past couple of trips over, I've taken SR 60 to US 27 to avoid the I-4 mess. Milagewise it definately is longer and there is construction (GASP!) on US 27, but for the most part, I kept moving pretty well most of the way. And I took this route on a Sunday late morning/early afternoon. Now, I just need to find a good route around to get me from US 27 to WDW without hitting I-4 or 192!

 

[Tyffni]

US 27 Construction

My past couple of trips over, I've taken SR 60 to US 27 to avoid the I-4 mess. Milagewise it definately is longer and there is construction (GASP!) on US 27, but for the most part, I kept moving pretty well most of the way. And I took this route on a Sunday late morning/early afternoon. Now, I just need to find a good route around to get me from US 27 to WDW without hitting I-4 or 192!

Where is the construction on US 27? Was thinking of coming up that way since we live in SWFL.

Is the traffic on I-4 that much worse than it was in November? We hit it around 7 in the evening and it wasn't that bad.

 

[awallaceunc]

I'm only vaguely familiar with Florida's roads, and I'm not sure exactly where this construction is at. Coming down from NC/SC/Georgia into Orlando, am I going to run into this? I was down there 3 times in '04 and once in '03 and don't remember going through any construction.

-Aaron

 

[TomDisney]

Where is the construction on US 27? Was thinking of coming up that way since we live in SWFL.

They are doing some construction on US 27 just south of I-4. They still have two lanes each way, but it does slow traffic down a bit. Plus there are more traffic lights too.

 

[GymLeaderPhil]

I get to drive through it three times this month... it's really something I look forward to each time, because I can bust out my Gameboy.

 

[wdwcrzy]

I live in the Tampa bay area and just drove over to Downtown Disney on Sunday to see Star Wars on the digital screen. The traffic on I-4 is the best I have seen in years, literally. There were a few slow downs but nothing like it had been in the last year or so. From North St. Pete to DD it took about 75 minutes; it has sometimes taken more than 2 hours. As longs as you don't catch them closing the road (which is usually done overnight) you should be able to make it from Orlando to Tampa and back to KSC. Just watch out for rush hour (7-9am & 4-7pm) in both Orlando & Tampa. It's brutal!!

By the way, this is my first post but I have been lurking for awhile. What a great board!! Glad to know I'm not alone in my Disney Geekdom. :0p