Motorists should be advised that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is implementing nightly closures of Sand Lake Road (State Road (S.R.) 482) under Interstate 4 (I-4) on August 19-22 and August 25-29, as well as September 3 and September 9-10. The closures will begin as early as 11 p.m. each night and are expected to reopen by 6 a.m.

The closures are necessary for crews to set beams on new bridge structures in the area as part of the improvements to the I-4 and Sand Lake Road interchange. The beams, weighing approximately 75 tons, will be delivered to the ramp and then set in place via multiple cranes.

During the closure, motorists traveling eastbound on Sand Lake Road west of I-4 will turn right on Turkey Lake Road and proceed south to Central Florida Parkway, where they will turn left again. From eastbound Central Florida Parkway, drivers can turn left to northbound Westwood Boulevard, proceeding to International Drive, where they will again turn left to head north. Once headed north on International Drive, motorists have the option to take westbound S.R. 528 to I-4 in either direction or continue north to return to Sand Lake Road.

Motorists traveling westbound on Sand Lake Road east of I-4 will turn right on northbound International Drive and proceed to Universal Boulevard, where they will turn left and head north. From northbound Universal Boulevard, motorists can access eastbound I-4. From there:

• Motorists can turn left on Hollywood Way and left again on southbound Turkey Lake Road to return to Sand Lake Road.
• Drivers who wish to access westbound I-4 should continue north on Universal Boulevard to Major Boulevard, turn right and then take another right to southbound Kirkman Road and proceed to the ramp.

FDOT advises motorists to follow all posted signs. Construction schedules are subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

The I-4 and Sand Lake Road interchange provides a vital gateway to some of Central Florida’s biggest attractions. The project is reconfiguring and lengthening ramps at the interchange and improving capacity on Sand Lake Road and Turkey Lake Road. A new loop ramp will replace the existing left turns from westbound Sand Lake Road to southbound Turkey Lake Road.

In addition, the project includes reconstructing the I-4 general use lanes from the end of the I-4 Ultimate project to west of Sand Lake Road. Two westbound, barrier-separated, express lanes are being built to connect the existing express lanes near Kirkman Road to a new extension west of Sand Lake Road. These express lanes will transition to a single, buffer-separated express lane in the westbound direction from west of Sand Lake Road and tie in just west of Central Florida Parkway. The Sand Lake Road interchange project, an interchange project at Daryl Carter Parkway, and an interchange project at Apopka-Vineland Road (S.R. 535) will each construct a segment of a single express lane, with the finished lane extending from west of Sand Lake Road to west of S.R. 536.

Construction for the Sand Lake Road interchange project began in spring 2023 and is anticipated to reach completion in 2027.

For more information about the planned improvements on I-4 in Orange County, visit the project website at i4beyond.com/SandLake.