CHAMPIONSGATE, Fla. – After 6 months of operating, the new Diverging Diamond Interchange at Interstate 4 and Championsgate is now officially complete.
“When we opened it up 6 months ago, it was a construction zone,” said Florida Department of Transportation District 5 Secretary John Tyler. “We didn’t have all of the pieces and parts that you see out here for today.”
The diverging diamond was built as a way to improve mobility and safety in the Championsgate community at I-4 and County Road 532.
Tyler said the interchange has been working well, but there is still room for improvement.
“Obviously you see that there is some traffic waiting to get onto I-4,” Tyler said. “So, there’s other improvements on I-4 that need to be made as well. We’ve got an auxiliary lane that’s under construction from here down to State Road 429. Once that’s also opened up, you’ll see that traffic flow really start moving, but we’re happy with the way that it’s performing.”
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District 1 Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Choudhry said while some are still getting used to the intersection, it’s providing relief for drivers and pedestrians.
“What’s great is that it’s starting to help with the actual traffic flow and safety of pedestrians being able to walk this intersection,” Choudhry said.
Choudhry said she is hoping Gov. Ron Desantis’ proposed $7 billion infrastructure plan, Moving Florida Foward, will bring in dollars to help improve the new interchange.
“Obviously once people get on I-4, that’s a whole other ballgame because we don’t control that, but we do want to work collaboratively to see what we can do to make those dollars come here,” Choudhry said.
FDOT said more diverging diamond interchanges are coming soon to improve the efficiency of other I-4 interchanges.
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