ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — When the new I-4 express toll lanes open later this year, first responders will face new challenges trying to make it to the scene of a crash.

What You Need To Know

  • I-4 toll lanes will bring new challenges for law enforcement, drivers

  • The concrete barriers between the toll and main lanes will limit merge points

  • Emergency gates are available to law enforcement officers in some spots

  • Florida Highway Patrol offers recommendations for drivers

“It’s about timing our entrance point onto I-4, as to where the incident is,” says Lt. Kim Montes of the Florida Highway Patrol. “We want to be able to get there just as quickly as we would on the main line.”

Because of the concrete barrier between the toll lanes and the main lanes of I-4, it’s miles between merge points in some spots.

That’s why Montes says there are multiple emergency gates to gain access to the toll lanes. Those gates will open when first responders need to cut in to respond to an emergency.

Montes offers these tips for negotiating the toll lanes:

  • If you accidently end up in a toll lane, don’t stop or back up. Proceed to the next merge point and exit there.
  • Don’t speed. Even though the toll lanes will have less congestion, FHP will still be patrolling.
  • If your car ends up in a crash in the toll lanes, pull the vehicle to the right shoulder, which is wider.
  • If you’re driving in the left lane of I-4’s “free” lanes, be courteous to toll-lane drivers who may have to merge to the right, back into the main lanes.

“There is going to be a learning curve for us,” Montes concedes.

First responders have been meeting with the Florida Department of Transportation since construction began on how to best coordinate emergency responses.

Despite the challenges, she says she believes the new toll lanes will benefit all drivers.

“Hopefully this is going to relieve some of that congestion on the main road so that we can keep traffic moving and reduce the number of crashes,” Montes says. “Because we know that as we have congestion, stop-and-go traffic, if we have one fender bender, then we typically have more. So we’re really looking forward to the traffic moving and reducing the number of crashes up here.”

If a crash occurs in the ”free" main lanes of I-4, FHP may request a suspension of the tolls, to move traffic through the express lanes, Montes says.