ORLANDO, Fla. – All entrances and exits to the I-4 Express tolling lanes are now marked.
The signs overhead are clear showing where the lanes line up in the middle of the highway, and how much they’ll cost: 50 cents a section, initially.
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And covered signs that will be uncovered Saturday morning will show I-4 Express drivers what their options are for getting out of the toll lanes.
But if you don’t know where you have to get off the Express lanes, you may miss your exit to get off I-4.
The Express lane on and off-ramps do not align with the I-4 on and off-ramps.
So how do you know where to get on and off?
The Florida Dept. of Transportation created a standalone website just for the tolling lanes: www.I4express.com.
A video shows you exactly where you can get on and where you can get off. And you can use the interactive trip planner to make sure you’re getting off in time to make your exit.
Using the trip planner to plan an Express lane route eastbound from State Road 408 to Altamonte Springs S.R. 436 reveals the intricacies of the tolling lanes and the need to pre-plan.
According to the planner, there is no eastbound entrance to the tolling lanes anywhere near the 408, so the trip planner warns if you’re coming from the 408 you’ll have to wait until you get to Maitland to hop onto the tolling lanes.
To get off at S.R. 436 in Altamonte, the trip planner shows you’ll drive past the S.R. 436 exit on I-4, take the direct-connect Express lanes exit onto Central Parkway, and then you’ll have to double-back on local roads to get to S.R. 436.
FDOT built several direct-connect access and exit points into the tolling lanes so, in certain spots, you can get on and off the toll lanes without ever having to get on or off the I-4 general lanes.
Are those direct-connect ramps convenient for you and your commute? Check the website and the trip planner to find out.