ORLANDO, Fla. — The big Interstate 4 shift has opened.
The shift changes the way drivers get onto State Road 408 or South Street in Downtown Orlando from the east side of I-4.
- Shift requires drivers to stay in certain lanes on I-4 exit ramp
- Shift is needed as crews widen I-4
- New configuration will stay in place for the next year and a half
- RELATED: I-4 Ultimate Updates, Facts, Project Maps
Now, once drivers exit I-4 eastbound, they need to stay in the left lane of the exit ramp if they want to go to South Street.
If they want to get onto State Road 408, they need to stay in the right lane of the exit ramp. That will take them on a road that runs parallel Division Avenue and then Gore Street. Drivers then rejoin the existing exit ramp to State Road 408.
Florida Dept. of Transportation officials say the change is important as crews work on widening I-4 south of downtown.
"It allows crews to come in and remove the bridge that passes over top of I-4 that is right now in the footprint of where we need to be to widen I-4 through this area," said David Parks, the spokesperson for the I-4 Ultimate Project.
Parks says travelers will be traveling through this new exit ramp configuration for the next year and a half.
It gives construction crews time to finish a new flyover ramp that takes drivers from I-4 to the 408 in both directions.
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