What is Interstate 4?

Interstate 4 Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Length:	132.30 mi[1] (0 km)
Formed:	1957
West end:	I-275 in Tampa
Major junctions:	I-75 near Tampa Polk Pkwy in Polk County U.S. 27 at Davenvport, FL Western Exwy near Disney World Central Florida GreeneWay near Celebration Beachline Exwy in Orlando Florida's Turnpike in Orlando East-West Exwy in Orlando Seminole County Exwy in Sanford
East end:	I-95 (as I-4) US 1 in Daytona Beach (as FL-400)
Florida State and County Roads < SR 3 SR 4 > < SR 399 SR 401 >
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Interstate 4 (abbreviated I-4) is a 132.30-mile (212.91 km) intrastate Interstate 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 combination of the Tampa, Lakeland, Orlando and Daytona Beach metropolitan areas is often referred to as the I-4 Corridor, since the freeway connects all four.

Route description

I-4 maintains a diagonal, northeast-southwest route for its entire length. Throughout most of Orange County and Seminole County, I-4 travels in a roughly north-south direction.

At an interchange with I-95 in Daytona Beach, I-4 terminates; however, SR 400 continues eastward into Daytona Beach.

Daytona Beach

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

History

Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs
Tampa, Florida Lakeland, Florida Plant City, Florida Davenport, Florida Kissimmee, Florida Orlando, Florida Sanford, Florida Orange City, Florida DeLand, Florida Daytona Beach, Florida

I-4 was one of the first Interstate Highways to be constructed in Florida. The first section opened between Plant City and Lakeland in 1959. In 1960/1961, the Howard Frankland Bridge opened to traffic, as well as the segment from 50th St in Tampa to Plant City. The stretch from Lake Monroe to Lake Helen 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 entire interstate system 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.

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 in Kissimmee (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.^[2]

Tampa area

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

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.^[3]

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 5:30am. 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.^[4][5][6][7] 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.

Orlando area

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.

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. However, due to U.S. Representative John Mica, they have been banned by a recently passed rider in the Federal transportation bill in 2005.

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.^[8] The westbound offramp to Gore Street will also eventually close as part of the project.

The new flyover from I-4 west to John Young Parkway (County Road 423) opened the morning of April 27, 2006.^[9][10][11]

Halifax River Bridge

There have been a number of proposals for a bridge that would carry SR 400 (Beville Road) across the Halifax River to Daytona Beach Shores. Proponents say that this would improve traffic flow and assist in hurricane evacuations, while opponents claim that a bridge would lead to congestion and environmental damage. Somewhat of a hot topic in the local area in the 1990s, the bridge proposal currently appears to be dormant.

Future

Orlando area

Interchanges with U.S. Route 192 and State Road 408 are also currently undergoing major reconstruction. The new US 192 interchange will be completed in the summer of 2007, and several new ramps at the SR 408 interchange will open in 2009. The rest of the SR 408 improvements are scheduled for the next decade.

Exit list

County	Location	Mile[12]	Exit #		Destinations	Notes
			New	Old
Hillsborough	Tampa	0.000			I-275 – St. Petersburg, Ocala, Tampa International Airport	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		1.046	1		SR 585 (22nd Street), 21st Street
			2 (Future)		I-4/Crosstown Connector south to Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway/Port of Tampa	Connector construction is scheduled to begin in 2009.
		3.260	3	3	US 41, 50th Street, Columbus Drive	Eastbound left exit, westbound left entrance. Eastbound right entrance and westbound right exit.
		4.704	5	4	SR 574 (Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard)
		5.567	6	5	Orient Road	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		6.661	7	6	US 92 (Hillsborough Avenue) to US 301 – Riverview, Zephyrhills
		8.613	9	7	I-75 – Ocala, Naples
		10.136	10	8	CR 579, Mango Road – Mango, Thonotosassa
		13.866	14	9	McIntosh Road
		17.421	17	10	Branch Forbes Road
	Plant City	19.507	19	11	SR 566 (Thonotosassa Road)
		21.276	21	12-13	SR 39 (Buchman Highway), Alexander Street – Zephyrhills
		22.580	22	14	SR 553 (Park Road)
		25.563	25	15	County Line Road
Polk	Lakeland	26.541	27	15A	SR 570 East (Polk Parkway) – Winter Haven, Bartow
		28.128	28	16	SR 546 to US 92
		30.684	31	17	SR 539 – Kathleen
		31.988	32	18	US 98 – Dade City
		33.421	33	19	SR 33/CR 582
		37.877	38	20	SR 33
		41.195	41	20A	SR 570 West (Polk Parkway) – Auburndale, Lakeland
		43.960	44	21	SR 559 – Polk City, Auburndale
		47.941	48	22	CR 557 – Lake Alfred, Winter Haven
		54.681	55	23	US 27 – Haines City, Clermont
		57.719	58	24	CR 532 – Kissimmee, Poinciana
Osceola
		59.585	60		SR 429 North – Apopka
	Disney World	61.747	62	24C-D-E	Toll SR 417 east, World Drive – Disney World, Celebration, Sanford, International Airport
		64.158	64A-B	25	US 192 – Celebration, Kissimmee, Magic Kingdom, Disney-MGM Studios
		65.297	65	26C-D	Osceola Parkway – Animal Kingdom, Wide World of Sports	was only 26C eastbound
Orange		66.553	67	26A-B	SR 536 To SR 417 – Epcot, Downtown Disney
		68.102	68	27	SR 535 – Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista
		70.932	71	27A	Central Florida Parkway – Sea World	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		71.682	72	28	SR 528 East (Martin Andersen Beachline Expressway) – International Airport, Cape Canaveral
		73.737	74A	29	SR 482 (Sand Lake Road)	was 29A westbound after 29B (current 74B) opened
		73.737	74B	29B	Universal	westbound exit and entrance
		75.032	75A-B	30A-B	SR 435 (Kirkman Road) – Universal
		76.363	77	31	Florida's Turnpike – Miami, Wildwood
		77.774	78	31A	Conroy Road
		79.154	79	32	CR 423 (John Young Parkway)
		80.463	80A-B	33A-B	US 17/US 92/US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail)
		81.022	81A	34	Michigan Street	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		81.478	81B-C	35	Kaley Avenue	was split into 35A and 35B westbound only
		82.116	82A	36	Toll SR 408 (East-West Expressway)
		82.235	82B	37	Gore Street (Closing Permanently in 2007)	westbound exit and entrance
	Orlando	82.654	82C	38	Anderson Street East (Temporarily Closed for construction of the new Anderson Street Bridge)
		82.803	83	39	South Street	westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			83A	40	SR 526 (Robinson Street) (Closed Permanently in 2006)	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		83.802	83B	41	US 17/US 92/SR 50 (Colonial Drive), Amelia Street
		84.328	84	42	Ivanhoe Boulevard
		85.134	85	43	Princeton Street
	Winter Park	85.890	86	44	Par Street	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		86.796	87	45	SR 426 (Fairbanks Avenue)
		87.773	88	46	SR 423 (Lee Road)
		89.517	90	47	SR 414 (Maitland Boulevard)	split into 90A and 90B eastbound
Seminole		91.638	92	48	SR 436 – Altamonte Springs, Apopka
		93.617	94	49	SR 434 – Longwood, Winter Springs
		98.420	98	50	Lake Mary Boulevard – Lake Mary, Heathrow
	Sanford	100.634	101A	51A	CR 46A (Paola Road) – Heathrow
		102.521	101B		SR 417 South (Central Florida GreeneWay) – International Airport
		102.521	101C	51	SR 46 – Mount Dora
		104.019	104	52	US 17/US 92
Volusia		107.824	108	53	County Road 4162 - Dirksen Drive/DeBary Avenue - DeBary, Deltona
		110.646	111	53CA-CB	County Road 4146 - Saxon Blvd. - Deltona, Orange City	split into 111A and 111B eastbound
	DeLand	113.802	114	54	SR 472 – Orange City
		115.920	116	55	County Road 4116 - Orange Camp Road - Lake Helen
		118.481	118	56	State Road 44 - New York Avenue - New Smyrna Beach
	Daytona Beach	129.131	129	57	To US 92 east	eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		132.001	132	58	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

• FDOT GIS data
• Historic Florida Interstate Information

External links

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

[ edit] Main Interstate Highways (multiples of 5 in pink)
4	5	8	10	12	15	16	17	19	20	22	24	25	26	27	29	30
35	37	39	40	43	44	45	49	55	57	59	64	65	66	68	69
70	71	72	73	74	75	76 (W)		76 (E)		77	78	79	80	81	82
83	84 (W)		84 (E)		85	86 (W)		86 (E)		87	88 (W)		88 (E)		89	90
91	93	94	95	96	97	99	(238)		H-1		H-2		H-3
Unsigned			A-1		A-2		A-3		A-4		PRI-1		PRI-2		PRI-3
Lists		Main - Auxiliary - Suffixed - Business - Proposed main - Unsigned Gaps - Intrastate - Interstate standards - Replaced - Proposed auxiliary

[ edit] Freeways and Expressways in the Tampa Bay Area
	The Veterans Expressway/Suncoast Parkway		Interstate 4		Interstate 275
	Interstate 75		Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway		Interstate 375
	Interstate 175

•  • [ e] Orlando-area expressways
Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority SR 408 SR 414 SR 417 SR 429 SR 451 SR 528 Goldenrod Road Extension SR 529† Xpress 400† † = planned, never built Florida's Turnpike Enterprise Florida's Turnpike SR 417 SR 429 SR 528 Other agencies Interstate 4 Osceola Parkway SR 407