Editing Interstate 4 (section)

==History==
[[File:Tampa-St. Petersburg, Florida 1955 Yellow Book.jpg|thumb|left|The original plans called for I-4 to extend to St. Petersburg]]
I-4 was one of the first Interstate Highways to be constructed in Florida, with the first section opening between Plant City and [[Lakeland, Florida|Lakeland]] in 1959. By early 1960, the [[Howard Frankland Bridge]] was opened to traffic, as well as the segment from the Hillsborough Avenue/US&nbsp;301 junction in Tampa to Plant City. The stretch from Lake Monroe to [[Lake Helen, Florida|Lake Helen]], including the original [[St. Johns River Veterans Memorial Bridge]] also opened during that period. The segment from Tampa to Orlando was complete by 1962.<ref>{{cite news |title = Highways to Your Vacationland |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=GjtQAAAAIBAJ&dq=history%20florida%20state%20route%2010%20-wikipedia%20-trulia&pg=4304%2C467553 |department = All Florida and TV Week Magazine |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |date = June 3, 1962 }}</ref> 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 at Central Avenue ([[County Road 150 (Pinellas County, Florida)|County Road 150]] [CR&nbsp;150])<!--the map at left appears to show it ending around 5th Avenue North - this might simply be imprecision--> in [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]],<ref>{{cite news |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-j9QAAAAIBAJ&pg=6458%2C2155683 |title = Time Now to Plan for Interstate 4 |date = July 14, 1965 |page = 10A |department = Editorials |access-date = March 13, 2014 }}</ref> though a non-Interstate extension would have continued south and west to [[Pasadena, Florida|Pasadena]].{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} Proposed I-4 was later extended southwest to the present location of I-275 exit&nbsp;20, with a planned temporary end at [[U.S. Route 19 in Florida|US&nbsp;19]] and 13th Avenue South,<ref>{{cite news |first = Ron |last = Yogman |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HO4LAAAAIBAJ&pg=6278%2C4126724 |title = City Buzzes at Interstate Impact on 1,600 Parcels |date = November 22, 1967 |page = 2A |access-date = March 13, 2014 |postscript = ; }} Subsequent articles:
* {{cite news |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=He4LAAAAIBAJ&pg=1292%2C4336296 |title = Section 2 of Interstate-4 |date = November 23, 1967 |page = 3A |access-date = March 13, 2014 |postscript = ; }}
* {{cite news |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Hu4LAAAAIBAJ&pg=6897%2C4635181 |title = Section 4 of Interstate 4 |date = November 24, 1967 |page = 6A |access-date = March 13, 2013 |postscript = ; }}
* {{cite news |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=H-4LAAAAIBAJ&pg=2621%2C4840370 |title = I-4 Closeup: Sections 6, 7 |date = November 25, 1967 |page = 4A |access-date = March 13, 2014 |postscript = ; }}
* {{cite news |work = The Evening Independent |location = Jacksonville |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3D9QAAAAIBAJ&pg=7049%2C5027233 |title = A Final, Closeup Look at Interstate 4 Route |date = November 27, 1967 |page = 4A |access-date = March 13, 2014 }}</ref> and a continuation to the [[Sunshine Skyway Bridge]] was also designated as part of I-4.<ref>{{cite news |work = [[St. Petersburg Times]] |url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VopQAAAAIBAJ&pg=4682%2C5254974 |title = State Agents Lay Out I-4's Tour to the South |date = July 19, 1968 |page = 1B |access-date = March 13, 2014 }}</ref> Construction was stalled at 9th Street North ([[County Road 803 (Pinellas County, Florida)|CR&nbsp;803]]) for several years.

[[File:I-4 east exits 111A-B.jpg|thumb|right|I-4 eastbound at exit&nbsp;111 in Volusia County in 2005]]
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 Howard Frankland Bridge. Eventually, that stretch was again redesignated to become part of I-275.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.moderncities.com/article/2016-oct-changing-tampa-then-and-now/page/1 |title = Changing Tampa: Then and Now |publisher = Modern Cities |date = October 2, 2016 |access-date = May 29, 2017 |archive-date = March 3, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170303102716/http://www.moderncities.com/article/2016-oct-changing-tampa-then-and-now/page/1 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

In maps and atlases dating to the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the Tampa–St. Petersburg section of I-4/I-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 10&nbsp;lanes without extensively modifying the interchanges. Some of these interchanges include the I-75 stack (constructed in the 1980s) and several interchanges serving the Walt Disney World Resort (constructed in the late 1980s and early 1990s).

In 2002, I-4, along with most of Florida's Interstates, switched over from a [[sequential exit numbering]] system to a [[mileage-based exit numbering]] system.<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |url = http://www.dot.state.fl.us/TrafficOperations/Operations/exitnumb/i_4.shtm |title = Florida's Interstate Exit Numbers- I-4 |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = November 18, 2010 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101113130335/http://www.dot.state.fl.us/trafficoperations/Operations/exitnumb/i_4.shtm |archive-date = November 13, 2010 |df = mdy-all }}</ref>

A section of I-4 between Daytona Beach and Orlando, called the "dead zone", is rumored to be haunted.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.local6.com/news/13273890/detail.html |title = Ghostly Images Seen, Photographed on 'Deadly' Stretch of I-4 |publisher = [[WKMG-TV]] |location = Orlando |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080914053758/http://www.local6.com/news/13273890/detail.html |archive-date = September 14, 2008 }}</ref> In 2010, the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council (ECFRPC), using [[geographic information system]] technology, performed an analysis to determine if this identified zone had an increased fatality rate related to crashes. The analysis, which compared this section of I-4 to several other dangerous I-4 sections, found that, while the dead zone area did not have the highest accident or fatality rate, it did identify that the percentage of fatality to accident was significantly higher in this location. Multiple hurricanes, including three category 4 hurricanes ([[Hurricane Donna|Donna]], [[Hurricane Charley|Charley]], and [[Hurricane Ian|Ian]]) have also passed over that area.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Boedeker |first1 = Hal |title = I-4 Dead Zone: Scary legend grows |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv-guy/os-i4-dead-zone-scary-legend-grows-20141023-post.html |access-date = September 28, 2022 |work = orlandosentinel.com }}</ref>

The median of I-4 between Tampa and Orlando was slated to be used for the [[Florida High-Speed Corridor]] line between those cities. As a result of a state constitutional amendment to build a high-speed rail system between its five largest cities passed by voters in 2000, construction projects on I-4 included a wide median to accommodate a high-speed rail line. The high-speed rail project was canceled in 2004 but revived again in 2009. In 2010, the federal government awarded Florida over $2&nbsp;billion (equivalent to ${{Formatprice|{{inflation|US-GDP|2000000000|2010}}}} in {{Inflation/year|index=US-GDP}}{{Inflation/fn|index=US-GDP}})—nearly the entire projected construction cost—to build the line, with work on the project to begin in 2011 and be completed by 2014. However, Governor [[Rick Scott]]'s rejection of the funding ended the project.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.reuters.com/article/florida-rail-idUSN1629082420110216 |work = Reuters |title = UPDATE 1-Florida governor rejects US high-speed rail funds |date = February 16, 2011 |access-date = July 8, 2017 |archive-date = September 24, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151223/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/florida-rail-idUSN1629082420110216 |url-status = live }}</ref>

On January 9, 2008, 70&nbsp;vehicles were involved in a large pileup on I-4 near [[Polk City, Florida|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 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission]]. The fog drifted across I-4, mixing with the smoke and reducing visibility to near-zero conditions. Four people were killed and 38 were injured. The section of I-4 did not reopen until the next day, January 10.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.wise4u.com/interstate-4-deadly-collisions-2008/ |title = Interstate 4 Deadly Collisions |date = January 10, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141213231721/http://www.wise4u.com/interstate-4-deadly-collisions-2008/ |archive-date = December 13, 2014 |access-date = April 27, 2018 |url-status = usurped }}</ref>

===Tampa area===
[[File:I-4 WB 2 miles to I-75.jpg|thumb|right|I-4 westbound {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} from the I-75 interchange in 2012]]
The I-4/I-275 interchange (Malfunction Junction) was rebuilt from 2002 to 2007,<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |url = http://www.mytbi.com/projects/projectinfo.asp?projectID=44&RoadID=2 |work = Tampa Bay Interstates |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |title = Construction Projects: I-4/I-275 Interchange (operational improvements, completed December 2006) |access-date = November 27, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110927125926/http://www.mytbi.com/projects/projectinfo.asp?projectID=44&RoadID=2 |archive-date = September 27, 2011 |df = mdy-all }}</ref> and I-4 has been widened from four to six lanes (with eight lanes in certain segments).

Eastbound I-4 shifted to its new, permanent alignment between Malfunction Junction and 50th Street on August 8, 2006. The new alignment includes a right-lane ramp exit/entry at the 22nd Street/21st Street Interchange (the previous left-lane configuration was causing hazardous conditions to commuters since its opening in 2005). On August 11, 2006, a fourth lane opened on eastbound I-4 between the downtown junction and 50th Street (led in by a newly opened third lane on the eastbound I-4 ramp from northbound I-275). And, on August 18, the new westbound alignment, just west of 50th Street, opened. The newly opened lanes will improve flow throughout the interchange. The 50th Street overpass, however, would not be complete until late 2007.<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |work = Tampa Bay Interstates |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |date = August 8, 2006 |url = http://www.i4.org/content/users/details.asp?newsid=2051 |title = Eastbound I-4 in new alignment |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070927181057/http://www.i4.org/content/users/details.asp?newsid=2051 |archive-date = September 27, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |location = St. Petersburg |publisher = [[WTSP]]-TV |url = http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=37001 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130209165551/http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=37001 |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 9, 2013 |title = Eastbound I-4 Traffic: New Lanes, New Exit through Ybor City |date = August 7, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |location = St. Petersburg |publisher = WTSP-TV |url = http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/article.aspx?storyid=37267&s=newsletter |title = New I-4 Lanes Help Drivers Get to Concert Early |date = August 10, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |author = Staff |work = Tampa Bay Interstates |url = http://www.mytbi.com/content/users/details.asp?newsid=2055 |title = New Eastbound I-4 Lane Open! |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |date = August 8, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926220826/http://www.mytbi.com/content/users/details.asp?newsid=2055 |archive-date = September 26, 2007 }}</ref> 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 ([[Florida State Road 569|SR&nbsp;569]]), exit&nbsp;2, was closed and demolished in late 2005 due to the ongoing reconstruction of I-4 and to accommodate [[I-4/Selmon Expressway Connector|a proposed connector highway]] with the [[Lee Roy Selmon Expressway]].<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |work = Tampa Bay Interstates |url = http://www.mytbi.com/urs/content/Design/I4-CrosstownConnector/index.asp |title = I-4/Crosstown Connector Project Page |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081014034357/http://www.mytbi.com/urs/content/Design/I4-CrosstownConnector/index.asp |archive-date = October 14, 2008 }}</ref>

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

===Greater Orlando===
[[File:FL 2 I4 FHWA 62 63 75280 3417.jpg|thumb|right|Parking lots under I-4 in Downtown Orlando, 1962]]
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 (Orlando)|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.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Kunerth |first1 = Jeff |title = Atlanta's Road Work Nearly Finished - For Now |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1989-07-03-8907030217-story.html |access-date = August 7, 2021 |work = Orlando Sentinel |date = July 3, 1989 }}</ref>

[[File:Altamonte-springs.JPG|thumb|300px|I-4 in Altamonte Springs]]
[[File:Orlando, Florida - Downtown from I-4 East.jpg|thumb|I-4 east toward Downtown Orlando]]

In the early-to-mid-1990s, several interchanges near Kissimmee were constructed or upgraded to accommodate increasing traffic going to and from Walt Disney World. However, I-4's mainlanes were not widened in the process. Around the same time, SR&nbsp;417 was extended to I-4.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}} Improvements to the US&nbsp;192 junction were completed in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |url = http://www.trans4mation.org/?id=169 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070503151428/http://www.trans4mation.org/?id=169 |url-status = dead |archive-date = May 3, 2007 |title = US&nbsp;192 Interchange_Project Overview |work = Trans4mation |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = November 27, 2011 }}</ref>

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 2000s, [[toll road|tolled]] [[High-occupancy toll lane|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. The express lanes were slated to extend from [[Universal Orlando]], east to SR&nbsp;434 in [[Longwood, Florida|Longwood]], and tolls were to be [[electronic toll collection|collected electronically]] via transponders like [[SunPass]] and [[Central Florida Expressway Authority]]'s [[E-PASS]], with prices dependent on the congestion of the eight mainlanes. However, the project was effectively banned by the passage of the [[Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users]] federal transportation bill in 2005, introduced by US Representative [[John Mica]]. The plan for tolled express lanes is now moving forward as part of the $2.3-billion I-4 Ultimate project.

Interim improvements to the interchange at [[Florida State Road 408|SR&nbsp;408]] were completed at the end of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |url = http://www.trans4mation.org/?id=166 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070218021123/http://www.trans4mation.org/?id=166 |url-status = dead |archive-date = February 18, 2007 |title = I-4 Trans4mation (FSTR 408 Interchange Project) |work = Trans4mation |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = November 27, 2011 }}</ref> The eastbound exit to Robinson Street ([[Florida State Road 526|SR&nbsp;526]]) permanently closed on April 25, 2006, to make way for construction of the new eastbound onramp from [[Florida State Road 408|SR&nbsp;408]].<ref>{{cite news |publisher = [[Central Florida News 13]] |location = Orlando |url = http://cfn13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=15141 |title = On the Move |date = April 25, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060524030747/http://www.cfn13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=15141 |archive-date = May 24, 2006 }}</ref> The westbound offramp to Gore Street was permanently closed in the same project on November 2, 2008.

The new [[overpass]] from I-4 west to [[John Young Parkway]] (CR&nbsp;423) opened the morning of April 27, 2006.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Hamburg |first1 = Jay |title = Rising above I-4 Crowds |url = http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom/growth/orl-newramp2606apr26,0,4440651.story?coll=orl-news-growth-headlines |access-date = May 11, 2021 |work = [[Orlando Sentinel]] |date = April 26, 2006 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20210511040612/https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-2006-04-26-newramp26-story.html |archive-date = May 11, 2021 |url-status = unfit }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher = [[WESH]]-TV |location = Daytona Beach |url = http://www.wesh.com/news/9017982/detail.html |title = Changes Under Way on I-4 |date = April 26, 2006 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120206160300/http://www.wesh.com/news/9017982/detail.html |archive-date = February 6, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |publisher = Central Florida News 13 |location = Orlando |url = http://cfn13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=15164 |title = On the Move |date = April 26, 2006 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Recent history===

====Recent widening====
The final four-lane segment of I-4, from SR&nbsp;44 to I-95, was widened to six lanes. Completed in winter 2016–2017, the whole highway is at least six lanes wide.<ref>{{cite web |title = 408464-1 I-4 widening from SR&nbsp;44 to East of I-95 |url = http://www.cflroads.com/project/408464-1/I-4_widening_from_SR_44_to_East_of_I-95 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150221054802/http://www.cflroads.com/project/408464-1/I-4_widening_from_SR_44_to_East_of_I-95 |archive-date = February 21, 2015 |access-date = February 18, 2015 |website = Central Florida Roads |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation }}</ref>

====I-4 Ultimate Project====
[[File:I-4 Ultimate Express Lanes.jpg|alt=An aerial view of the I-4 Ultimate Express Lanes near Winter Park, FL.|left|thumb|upright=0.75|An aerial view of the I-4 Ultimate Express Lanes near Winter Park]]
A $2.3-billion (in year-of-expenditure dollars) project—dubbed I-4 Ultimate—reconstructed a {{convert|21|mi|km|adj=on}} stretch of I-4 through Orlando from SR&nbsp;435 (exit&nbsp;75) east to SR&nbsp;434 (exit 94).<ref>{{cite web |author = Staff |url = http://www.moving-4-ward.com |title = Future I-4 Improvements |work = Moving-4-Ward |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = February 18, 2013 }}</ref> The most noticeable change is the addition of four [[High-occupancy toll lane|variable-toll express lanes]] along this section, called I-4 Express.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> The toll rates maintain an average speed of {{convert|60|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. Additionally, the general-use lanes were rebuilt, 15 major interchanges were reconfigured, 53 new bridges were added, and 75&nbsp;bridges were replaced.<ref name="I-4 Ultimate FAQ">{{cite web |title = FAQs |url = http://i4ultimate.com/project-info/faqs/ |website = I-4 Ultimate |date = July 9, 2014 |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = January 22, 2015 }}</ref> A pedestrian bridge was built over the highway near Maitland Boulevard, with a second pedestrian bridge being built over SR&nbsp;435 at the intersection with both Major Boulevard and Tom Williams Way.<ref name="I-4 Ultimate Special features">{{cite web |title = Special Features |url = http://i4ultimate.com/project-info/special-features/ |website = I-4 Ultimate |date = July 9, 2014 |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = February 19, 2015 }}</ref> A pedestrian tunnel was constructed under SR&nbsp;436. The project also reduced the curve radius and improved line-of-sight along the notorious Fairbanks Curve south of [[Fairbanks Avenue]], which is the most accident-prone section of I-4.<ref name="I-4 Ultimate: Fairbanks Curve">{{cite web |title = Fairbanks Ave. / Winter Park |url = http://i4ultimate.com/project-info/future-i-4/#info587 |website = I-4 Ultimate |date = July 9, 2014 |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = February 19, 2015 }}</ref><ref name="WFTV: Fairbanks Curve">{{cite news |title = I-4 Ultimate Project to Address Dangerous Fairbanks Curve |url = http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/i-4-ultimate-project-addres-dangerous-fairbanks-cu/nkDhP/ |access-date = February 19, 2015 |location = Orlando |publisher = [[WFTV-TV]] |date = February 18, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219135323/http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/i-4-ultimate-project-addres-dangerous-fairbanks-cu/nkDhP/ |archive-date = February 19, 2015 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

FDOT proposed adding barrier-separated [[high-occupancy vehicle]] (HOV) lanes to I-4 through Greater Orlando in the 1990s, possibly funded by tolls,<ref name="I-4 special lanes 1993">{{cite news |last1 = Roy |first1 = Roger |title = Express Lanes Lead Alternatives to Avoid I-4 Jams |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1993/08/23/express-lanes-lead-alternatives-to-avoid-i-4-jams/ |access-date = February 19, 2015 |work = Orlando Sentinel |date = August 23, 1993 |archive-date = February 19, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219150550/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1993-08-23/news/9308230319_1_express-lanes-new-lanes-special-lanes |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="I-4 special lanes 1995">{{cite news |last1 = Roger |first1 = Roy |title = I-4 Plan: Promote Car Pools, Light Rail |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1995/08/18/i-4-plan-promote-car-pools-light-rail/ |access-date = February 19, 2015 |work = Orlando Sentinel |date = August 18, 1995 |archive-date = February 19, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219150818/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1995-08-18/news/9508180126_1_kimbler-express-lanes-car-pools |url-status = live }}</ref> but proposals for express lanes (including reversible toll lanes and [[high-occupancy toll]] [HOT] lanes) were blocked by politics for the next 15&nbsp;years. In 2012, a legislative ban on tolls along I-4, which had been in place for seven years, ended, and FDOT began soliciting private enterprises to build and help finance the project in a [[public–private partnership]].<ref name="Sentinel 2012: ban ends">{{cite news |last1 = Tracy |first1 = Dan |title = State Seeks Investors to Help Foot Bill to Build I-4 Toll Lanes |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2012/07/08/state-seeks-investors-to-help-foot-bill-to-build-i-4-toll-lanes/ |access-date = February 19, 2015 |work = Orlando Sentinel |date = July 8, 2012 |archive-date = February 19, 2015 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150219151148/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-07-08/news/os-interstate-4-tolls-20120708_1_lexus-lanes-toll-lanes-toll-money |url-status = live }}</ref> In February 2013, the state legislature and governor gave approval for FDOT to proceed with the public–private partnership on this section of I-4 in February 2013,<ref name="I-4 Ultimate approval to launch P3">{{cite news |last1 = Orben |first1 = Bill |title = FDOT Gets Backing on $2.1B I-4 Project |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/morning_call/2013/02/fdot-gets-backing-on-21b-i-4-project.html |work = Orlando Business Journal |access-date = February 19, 2015 |date = February 4, 2013 }}</ref> and, the following year, FDOT selected I-4 Mobility Partners to design, construct, finance, maintain, and operate the project for 40&nbsp;years. FDOT and I-4 Mobility Partners reached commercial and financial close, and a public–private partnership concession agreement was executed in September 2014.<ref>{{cite press release |title = FDOT and I-4 Mobility Partners Reach Commercial and Financial Close for I-4 Ultimate Project |url = http://i4ultimate.com/documents/2014/09/2014-09-05-I-4-Ultimate-Press-Release-Fin-and-Comm-Close.pdf |website = I-4 Ultimate |publisher = Florida Department of Transportation |access-date = January 22, 2015 |date = September 9, 2014 }}</ref> The final design phase began in October 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Fluker |first1 = Anjali |title = FDOT Shares New I-4 Ultimate Design, Construction Milestones |url = http://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/blog/2014/11/fdot-shares-new-i-4-ultimate-design-construction.html?page=all |access-date = January 22, 2015 |work = Orlando Business Journal |date = November 3, 2014 }}</ref> On February 1, 2015, FDOT turned the project over to I-4 Mobility Partners,<ref name="I-4 Mobility Partners take over project">{{cite news |last1 = Vargas |first1 = Lena |title = I-4 Ultimate Project Underway in Orange, Seminole Counties |url = http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/2/1/i4_ultimate.html |access-date = February 18, 2015 |location = Orlando |publisher = Central Florida News 13 |date = February 2, 2015 }}</ref> and, on February 18, transportation officials and the governor held a groundbreaking ceremony for the project in Maitland.<ref name=Sentinel-groundbreaking>{{cite news |last1 = Tracy |first1 = Dan |title = I-4 Ultimate Overhaul Gets Ceremonial Start |url = http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-i4-official-groundbreaking-20150217-story.html |access-date = February 18, 2015 |work = Orlando Sentinel }}</ref> After seven years of construction, the express lanes opened to traffic the morning of February 26, 2022, and began tolling on March 3, 2022.<ref>{{cite news |last1 = Spear |first1 = Kevin |title = I-4 Express lanes are expected to open by month's end |url = https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/transportation/os-ne-i4-toll-lane-open-soon-20220209-srzpvkyil5gj5jdhnra554efpu-story.html |access-date = February 16, 2022 |work = Orlando Sentinel |date = February 9, 2022 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date = February 25, 2022 |title = I-4 Express Opening February 26 |url = https://i4express.com/2022/02/25/i-4-express-opening-february-26/ |access-date = March 17, 2022 |website = I4Express.com |language = en-US |archive-date = March 16, 2022 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220316153831/https://i4express.com/2022/02/25/i-4-express-opening-february-26/ |url-status = dead }}</ref>

====Connection with Wekiva Parkway (SR 429)====
{{main|Wekiva Parkway}}
After spending $255 million dollars, FDOT completed the [[Wekiva Parkway]] by building 2.63 miles of expressway between Orange Boulevard and the I-4/[[Florida State Road 417|SR 417]] junction in Sanford.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Wekiva Parkway Section 8: Fact Sheet |url = https://www.wekivaparkway.com/wpcms/data/img/uploads/files/WP_Section%208_FactSheet.pdf |access-date = December 26, 2024 |website = WekivaParkway.com |language = en-US }}</ref> The project was completed on January 26, 2024, completing the beltway around Central Florida.<ref name="wekiva">{{cite news |last1=Trezza |first1=Matt |title=Wekiva Parkway, 25-mile toll road, officially opens in Central Florida |url=https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/fl-transport-officials-cut-ribbon-on-last-part-of-wekiva-parkway |access-date=January 31, 2024 |work = Fox 35 Orlando |location = Orlando, Florida |publisher=[[WOFL]]-TV |date=January 26, 2024}}</ref> The project also involves building future I-4 Beyond the Ultimate lanes from SR 417 to [[SR 46]].