Florida is putting in miles of infrastructure work.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several projects Oct. 16, including 17 miles of new express lanes on I-4, which connects the west and east coasts of the state. A new parking facility for truck drivers is also slated for Polk County.
The Florida DOT will construct new, single express lanes in both directions in Hillsborough County, a part of the state that includes the major metro area of Tampa and St. Petersburg. The project will cost $500 million, FDOT chairman and secretary Jared Perdue said during the announcement.
The new I-4 lanes will run from I-75 to County Line Road. The goal of the project is to reduce congestion by separating long-distance traffic from local commuter traffic, providing additional travel options.
Perdue said plans for expanding I-4 have existed for 15 years, but it would have likely been another 10 years before the agency could advance the project. Instead, FDOT chose to construct the project now within the existing highway’s right of way.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2028, per the governor’s announcement.
The agency did not respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment by the time of publication.
The announcement of work comes a few months after FDOT completed a major interchange update along I-4 in Central Florida near Orlando. The agency opened the interchange at Daryl Carter Parkway on July 19, aiming to better provide motorists with access to residences and retail locations. It also sought to relieve congestion at other nearby I-4 interchanges.
In addition to the new lane expansion, FDOT will also construct a 100-space truck parking facility in Polk County, located at the Polk Parkway and I-4 interchange east of Tampa. The I-4 corridor has one of the largest truck parking deficits in Florida, per the release.
“We actually have an initiative underway right now to bring over 1,400 truck parking spots to the I-4 corridor as a whole,” Perdue said during the announcement.
Indeed, Polk County isn’t alone in getting a planned upgrade for trucker parking. A “pro-trucker package” from the federal DOT will give $180 million to add 917 truck parking spaces along I-4 in Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties, Trucking Dive reported in July.
The federal award was announced in January 2024 and “executed” in July 2025, Trucking Dive reported. Estimated construction costs for those lots vary from $29.5 million to $74 million.
