ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation announced a traffic shift that would impact the 12,000 drivers who take the Colonial Drive exit on I-4 in the westbound lanes beginning Saturday night.
The exit will be on the left side and will require drivers to exit three-fourths of a mile sooner after passing over New Hampshire Street, according to FDOT.
“The biggest concern is how drivers adjust to the new change because it’s so different than what they’ve been used to,” said David Parks, a spokesperson for the I-4 Ultimate Project. “Colonial, you think downtown. Whereas this exit begins just before entering into that downtown area.”
FDOT said the ramp will put drivers at a signaled intersection at Ivanhoe Boulevard before crossing over Lake Ivanhoe Boulevard.
Drivers will follow Legion Place and Orange Avenue to get to Colonial Drive.
The temporary exit will be in place for about a year as crews work on rebuilding the interchange at Colonial Drive and I-4 entirely.
"The reason we need to make that change is crews need to get in and reconstruct that exit ramp as well as some of the permanent westbound lanes in the area," Parks said.
Officials purposely set the change for Saturday at 10 p.m. to give drivers time to adapt to the change over the weekend before the busy Monday morning commute.
“Make sure you are paying attention and be ready for this shift,” Parks said.
Click here for a detailed map showing the new exit.