HAINES CITY, Fla. — Traffic on parts of I-4 in Polk County may look much different now that congestion relief lanes are officially open.

What You Need To Know

  • New congestion relief lanes are now open on I-4 between U.S. 27 and State Road 417, aiming to ease traffic

  • Local commuters, like Marcello Machado, are already experiencing shorter travel times

  • The $27 million project is part of the larger “Moving I-4 Forward” initiative, which will eventually extend into the Orlando area

Just days after the Florida Department of Transportation opened the lanes stretching from Haines City to Osceola County, drivers such as Marcello Machado are already seeing improvements.

Machado has been a manager at Four Corners Auto Repair, just yards away from the U.S. 27 interchange, for two years and said traffic has been consistently heavy. But now, he says there’s some relief.

“Of course, with more lanes and less traffic, it’s better for us because I commute every day back and forth from Orlando to here,” he said.

Machado says his commute is now shorter than it used to be. Though it’s only by about 10 minutes, he says it makes sitting in the car a lot more bearable.

The new fourth lane on each side of I-4 runs between U.S. 27 and the State Road 417 junction, also known as World Drive. Construction costs for the congestion relief lanes totaled $27 million.

The finished project is just phase one of the “Moving I-4 Forward” program. Ultimately, I-4 east of U.S. 27 will be 10 lanes and extend into the Orlando area — a change Machado believes will draw in new customers.

“The better traffic flows, they’ll help more business, you know?” he said.

There isn’t a completion date for the upcoming changes, but officials plan to start construction on express lanes next year.