ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — This summer, Central Florida drivers will have a new way to get around backups from a crash. The Central Florida Expressway Authority is introducing Flex Lanes, which will allow drivers to use the left shoulder in case there’s an incident on State Road 417.

The Flex Lanes are a part of the project to widen State Road 417 from four to six lanes to eliminate congestion.

Central Florida Expressway Authority spokesman Brian Hutchings said testing of the Flex Lanes is currently underway between International Drive and John Young Parkway.

“If you've got a traffic accident that closes a lane up ahead, we can activate the Flex Lanes — which is the shoulder — to be able to get motorists around the accident,” said Hutchings.

Overhead signs will display what lanes are open.

During normal traffic operations, the left shoulder will have a red X, but if there’s a crash, then the left shoulder will open up for traffic — and the red X will move and be displayed over the lane or lanes that are closed due to the wreck.

Travel speeds will also be reduced from 70 to 55 miles per hour.

The goal is to keep first responders safe, keep traffic moving and reduce secondary crashes.

According to information from the Federal Highway Administration, up to 20% of all traffic accidents are secondary crashes.

“It’s designed to be forward-thinking, because we can only widen the roads so much,” said Hutchings. “And really, with this technology we’re able to utilize the capacity that we have as best as possible.”

When drivers pass the crash scene, the overhead signs will indicate when drivers need to get back in the main lanes.

Failure to follow the rules could get you a ticket and points on your license.

Rozio Corona operates her own cake shop out of her home and uses State Road 417 to deliver her cakes.

Getting to events on time is key, and she said the Flex Lanes will help with that.

“It’s a good solution,” said Corona.

Currently, the plan is to only use the Flex Lanes during a crash or other incident.

The widening of State Road 417 should handle the typical congestion seen during the peak drive times, Hutchings said.

The Flex Lanes will be coming online over the next several months on State Road 417, from International Drive to State Road 528.

Look for them to first go into operation between I-drive and John Young Parkway this summer.

Officials say State Road 429 will also get Flex Lanes in about a year.