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Florida is doing miles of infrastructure work.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced several projects on 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 lot for truck drivers is also planned in Polk County.
The Florida DOT will build new single express lanes in both directions in Hillsborough County, a part of the state that includes the major metropolitan areas of Tampa and St. Petersburg. The project will cost 500 million dollarsFDOT President and Secretary Jared Perdue said during the announcement.
The new I-4 lanes will run from I-75 to County Line Road. The aim of the project is to reduce congestion by separating long distance traffic from local commuter traffic, providing additional travel options.
Perdue said plans to widen I-4 have been around for 15 years, but it likely would have been another 10 years before the agency could move forward with the project. Instead, FDOT chose to build the project now within the existing roadway right-of-way.
Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2028, according to the governor’s announcement.
The agency did not respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment by press time.
The job announcement comes months after FDOT completed a major interchange upgrade along I-4 in central Florida near Orlando. The agency opened the interchange at Daryl Carter Parkway on July 19, with the goal of better providing motorists with access to residences and commercial locations. It also tried to ease congestion at other nearby I-4 interchanges.
In addition to the new lane expansion, FDOT will also build 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, according to the release.
“We actually have an initiative underway right now to bring over 1,400 truck parking spaces to the I-4 corridor as a whole,” Perdue said during the announcement.
In fact, 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 “implemented” in July 2025, Trucking Dive reported. Estimated construction costs for these lots vary from $29.5 million to 74 million dollars.
