Interstate 4

Interstate 4
Route information
Maintained by FDOT
Length:	132.30 mi[1][2] (212.92 km)
Existed:	1957 – present
Major junctions
West end:	I-275 in Tampa
	US 92 / US 301 near Tampa I-75 near Tampa US 98 in Lakeland US 27 near Davenport US 192 in Celebration Turnpike in Orlando SR 408 in Orlando US 17 / US 92 / US 441 in Orlando
East end:	I-95 / SR 400 in Daytona Beach
Location
Counties:	Hillsborough, Polk, Osceola, Orange, Seminole, Volusia
Highway system
Main route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business Florida State and County Roads ← SR 3 SR 4 →

Interstate 4 (I-4) is a 132.30-mile (212.91 km) intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida () to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida (). It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small portion of the route is signed at the east end. I-4 is currently the lowest-numbered Interstate Highway in the contiguous 48 U.S. states. The area that surrounds I-4 is often referred to as the I-4 Corridor.

Route description

I-4 maintains a diagonal, northeast-southwest route for much of its length, although it is signed east-west. The 132-mile (212 km) route begins with an interchange with I-275 in Tampa and continues east toward I-75.

After passing through the eastern suburbs of Hillsborough County, it crosses into Polk County, entering the Lakeland area, intersecting with the Polk Parkway twice before entering Polk City.

At this point, the interstate starts a turn toward the northeast where it intersects with the Orlando area cutting the city through at a diagonal direction going northeast/southwest. The route provides access to all of Orlando's theme parks including Disney World and Universal Studios, as well as nearly all of Orlando's toll roads, including Florida's Turnpike. Throughout most of Orange County and Seminole County, I-4 travels in a roughly north–south direction.

Interstate 4 eastbound at exit 111 in Volusia County

Right before the eastern terminus, I-4 switches to a mostly east/west route in order to connect with traffic from and to I-95. At an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, I-4 terminates; however, SR 400 continues eastward into Daytona Beach.

SR 400, unsigned while concurrent with I-4, becomes signed east of I-95. The road extends for three miles (5 km) from the northeast terminus of I-4, on the south side of Daytona International Speedway and Daytona Beach International Airport, to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (SR 5) in Daytona Beach. Named Beville Road, it runs along the boundary between the cities of Daytona Beach and South Daytona.

History

I-4 was one of the first Interstate Highways to be constructed in Florida, with the first section opening between Plant City and Lakeland in 1959. By early 1960, the Howard Frankland Bridge was opened to traffic, as well as the segment from the Hillsborough Avenue/ US 301 junction in Tampa to Plant City. The stretch from Lake Monroe to Lake Helen, including the original St. Johns River Bridge also opened during that period. The segment from Lakeland to Orlando was complete by 1962. By the mid 1960s, several segments were already complete, including Malfunction Junction in Tampa and parts of I-4 through Orlando. The original western terminus was set in South Pasadena in the late 1960s, but this plan was rejected due to local opposition. As a result, I-4 only went as far southwest as 9th St N in St. Petersburg.

The original plans called for I-75 to end in Tampa

The entire Interstate Highway was completed by the late 1960s, however, the western terminus was truncated to Malfunction Junction in 1971 when I-75 was extended over the Frankland Bridge. Eventually, that stretch was again redesignated to become part of I-275.^[3]

In maps and atlases dating to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, The Tampa/St. Petersburg section of Interstate 4/Interstate 275 was marked as the Tampa Expressway. The Orlando segment was marked as the Orlando Expressway. Both names have since faded from maps.

Although many post-1970 interchanges along I-4 were constructed before the recent widening projects, they were designed with I-4 expansion in mind. In other words, there is enough room available to widen I-4 to up to ten lanes without extensively modifying the interchanges. Some of these interchanges include the Interstate 75 stack (constructed in the 1980s) and several interchanges serving the Walt Disney World Resort (constructed in the late 1980s/early 1990s).

In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, the I-4 corridor, a site of significant growth, was a focus of political activity within the swing state of Florida. Communities along the I-4 corridor were perceived by both major political parties as having higher proportions of undecided voters as compared to more Republican- or Democratic-leaning portions of the state. It played an equally key role in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, but whereas the corridor had voted heavily for Bush in 2004, which helped Bush win the state, in 2008 it swung behind Democratic candidate Obama, helping Obama win Florida.^[4]

A section of I-4 called the 'dead zone' is rumored to be haunted.^[5]

Tampa area

The I-4/I-275 interchange (Malfunction Junction) was rebuilt from 2002 to 2006, and I-4 is under staged renovations to be widened from four to six lanes (with eight lanes in certain segments). Much of this work is complete, and all new travel lanes are now open. Eventually, I-4 will be widened again to a total of at least ten lanes (five in each direction). Studies for this project are already underway and construction should commence sometime in the 2010s. Completion of the project should be around 2020.

Eastbound I-4 shifted to its new, permanent alignment between Malfunction Junction and 50th St on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 at 5:30 am. The new alignment includes a right-lane ramp exit/entry at the 22nd St/21st St Interchange (The previous left-lane configuration was causing hazardous conditions to commuters since its opening in 2005). On Friday, August 11, 2006, a fourth lane opened on eastbound I-4 between the downtown junction and 50th St (led in by a newly opened third lane on the eastbound I-4 ramp from northbound I-275). And on Friday, August 18, the new westbound alignment, just west of 50th Street, opened. The newly opened lanes will improve flow throughout the interchange. The 50th St overpass however, will not be complete until late 2007.^[6][7][8][9] Also, the eastbound I-4 exit ramp to Columbus Drive/50th Street is situated to the left-hand side of the highway (as opposed to its former right-hand side exit). This exit shift went into effect in spring 2006 and is part of the new, permanent interstate configuration.

In Tampa, the exit to 40th Street (State Road 569) has been closed since late 2005 due to the ongoing reconstruction of I-4; it will not reopen due to a proposed connector highway with the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.^[10]

The interchange with what is today Interstate 75 was constructed in the early 1980s.

Orlando area

As Orlando grew in the 1970s and 1980s, traffic became a growing concern, especially after the construction of the original interchange with the East–West Expressway in 1973, which proved to become a principal bottleneck. The term "highway hostages" was coined in the 1980s to describe people stuck in long commutes to and from Orlando on I-4.

An old I-4 shield in Orlando

In the early/mid 1990s, several interchanges near Kissimmee were constructed/upgraded to accommodate increasing traffic going to and from Walt Disney World. However, I-4's main lanes were not widened in the process. Around the same time, the Southern Connector was extended to I-4.

The St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge, a two-span six-lane replacement to the original four-lane bridge over the St. Johns River northeast of Orlando, was completed in 2004.

During the early 2000's, tolled express lanes were being planned in the Orlando area as a traffic congestion relief technique for rush hour commuters. The name for them was to be Xpress 400, numbered after the state road designation for I-4, SR 400. The express lanes were slated to extend from Universal Orlando, east to SR 434 in Longwood, and tolls were to be collected electronically via transponders like SunPass and Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority's E-Pass, with prices dependent on the congestion of the eight main lanes. However, the project was effectively banned by the passage of the SAFETEA-LU Federal transportation bill in 2005, introduced by U.S. Representative John Mica. The plan for tolled express lanes, however, is still in the long term plans for I-4.^[11]

The eastbound exit to Robinson Street (State Road 526) permanently closed at 11PM on April 25, 2006, to make way for construction of the new eastbound onramp from State Road 408.^[12] The westbound offramp to Gore Street was permanently closed in the same project on 2008-02-11.

The new overpass from I-4 west to John Young Parkway (County Road 423) opened the morning of April 27, 2006.^[13][14][15]

2008 Pileup

On January 9, 2008, 70 vehicles were involved in a large pileup on I-4 near Polk City. The pileup was caused by an unexpected thick morning fog that was mixed with a scheduled—and approved—environmental burn by the Florida Wildlife Commission. The fog drifted across I-4, mixing with the smoke, reducing visibility to near-zero conditions. Four people were killed, and 38 were injured. The section of I-4 did not re-open until 6:30 pm the next day, January 10.^[16]

Future

Interim improvements to the interchange at State Road 408 were completed at the end of 2008.^[17] The rest of the SR 408 improvements are scheduled for the next decade. Intersections at US 192^[18] and I-275^[19] were completed in 2007. The remaining four-lane segment, from SR 44 to I-95, will eventually be widened to six lanes, with construction anticipated to begin in 2012.^[20]

Planning is underway for "ultimate" improvements to Interstate 4 through Orlando from SR 435 (exit 75) east to SR 434 (exit 94).^[21] These plans involve adding express lanes to the highway, and the reconstruction of several major interchanges. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2014. Right-of-way procurement alone will top $400 million.^[22]

Exit list

County	Location	Exit #		Destinations	Notes
		Old	New
Hillsborough	Tampa			I-275 – St. Petersburg, Ocala, Tampa International Airport	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		1	1	SR 585 (22nd Street) / 21st Street
		2	2	I-4/Crosstown Connector south to Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway/Port of Tampa	Connector under construction as of 2010, scheduled to open in 2013
		3	3	US 41 / 50th Street, Columbus Drive	Eastbound left exit, westbound left entrance. Eastbound right entrance and westbound right exit.
		4	5	SR 574 (Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard)
		5	6	Orient Road	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	East Lake-Orient Park	6	7	US 92 (Hillsborough Avenue) / US 301 – Riverview, Zephyrhills	Congestion may occur on days when the state fair is on. Traffic delays on the interstate can be common with major tailbacks in either direction.
		7	9	I-75 – Ocala, Naples
		8	10	[[|]] / Mango Road – Mango, Thonotosassa
		9	14	McIntosh Road
		10	17	Branch Forbes Road
	Plant City	11	19	SR 566 (Thonotosassa Road)
		13	21	SR 39 (Buchman Highway) / Alexander Street – Zephyrhills
		14	22	SR 553 (Park Road)
		15	25	County Line Road
Polk	Lakeland	15A	27	SR 570 East (Polk Parkway) – Winter Haven, Bartow
		16	28	SR 546 to US 92
		17	31	SR 539 – Kathleen
		18	32	US 98 – Dade City
		19	33	SR 33 / [[|]]
		20	38	SR 33
	Polk City	20A	41	SR 570 West (Polk Parkway) – Auburndale, Lakeland
		21	44	SR 559 – Polk City, Auburndale
		22	48	[[|]] – Lake Alfred, Winter Haven
		23	55	US 27 – Haines City, Clermont
		24	58	[[|]] – Kissimmee, Poinciana
Osceola
		24B	60	SR 429 North – Apopka
	Celebration	24C-D-E	62	Toll SR 417 east, World Drive – Disney World, Celebration, Sanford, International Airport
		25A-B	64A-B	US 192 – Celebration, Kissimmee, Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios
		26C-D	65C-D	Osceola Parkway – Animal Kingdom, Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex	was only 26C eastbound
Orange	Lake Buena Vista	26A-B	67A-B	SR 536 To SR 417 – Epcot, Downtown Disney
		27	68	SR 535 – Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista
		27A	71	Central Florida Parkway – Sea World	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	Orlando	28	72	SR 528 east (Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway) – International Airport, Cape Canaveral
		29	74A	SR 482 (Sand Lake Road)	was 29A westbound after 29B (current 74B) opened
		29B	74B	Universal	westbound exit and entrance
		30A-B	75A-B	SR 435 (Kirkman Road) – Universal
		31	77	Turnpike / SR 91 – Miami, Wildwood
		31A	78	Conroy Road – The Mall at Millenia
		32	79	[[|]] (John Young Parkway)
		33A-B	80A-B	US 17 / US 92 / US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail)
		34	81A	Michigan Street	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		35	81B-C	Kaley Avenue	was split into 35A and 35B westbound only
		36	82A	SR 408 (east-west Expressway)
		37	82B	South Street/Anderson Street	South Street: Eastbound exit / Anderson Street: Westbound exit
		38	82C	Anderson Street East	Temporarily Closed for construction of the new Anderson Street Bridge
		39	83	South Street	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		41	83B	US 17 / US 92 / SR 50 (Colonial Drive) / Amelia Street, Amway Arena
		42	84	Ivanhoe Boulevard
		43	85	Princeton Street	Continues as SR438 after the intersection with US 441
	Winter Park	44	86	Par Street	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		45	87	SR 426 (Fairbanks Avenue)
		46	88	SR 423 (Lee Road)
	Maitland	47	90	SR 414 (Maitland Boulevard)	split into 90A and 90B eastbound
Seminole	Altamonte Springs	48	92	SR 436 – Altamonte Springs, Apopka
		49	94	SR 434 – Longwood, Winter Springs
	Lake Mary	50	98	Lake Mary Boulevard – Lake Mary, Heathrow
	Sanford	51A	101A	[[|]] (Paola Road) – Heathrow
			101B	SR 417 South (Central Florida GreeneWay) – International Airport
		51	101C	SR 46 – Mount Dora
		52	104	US 17 / US 92
Volusia	Deltona	53	108	CR 4162 (Dirksen Drive/DeBary Avenue) – DeBary, Deltona
		53CA-CB	111	CR 4146 (Saxon Boulevard) – Deltona, Orange City	split into 111A and 111B eastbound
	Orange City	54	114	SR 472 – Deltona, DeLand
	Lake Helen	55	116	County Road 4116 - Orange Camp Road - Lake Helen
		56	118	SR 44 (New York Avenue) – New Smyrna Beach
	Daytona Beach	57	129	US 92 east	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		58	132	I-95 / SR 400 east – Jacksonville, Miami, South Daytona	eastbound exit and westbound entrance

See also

• Hurricane Charley, sometimes referred to as the "I-4 Hurricane"

References

External links

Interstate 4 travel guide from Wikitravel

• Tampa Bay Interstates (Tampa-area reconstruction)
• I4Polk.com (Lakeland-area reconstruction)
• Trans4mation (Orlando-area reconstruction)

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