As part of the Interstate 4 (I-4) at Sand Lake Road (State Road (S.R.) 482) interchange project, crews are working to construct a new bridge alongside westbound I-4 over Central Florida Parkway. This new bridge will form part of the westbound I-4 Express extension from its current endpoint at Kirkman Road (S.R. 435) through World Center Drive (S.R. 536).

This month, crews began driving steel piles that will form the main support for this new bridge. Over a one-month period, crews will drive a total of 16 piles alongside westbound I-4 over Central Florida Parkway. Pile driving is a construction process that involves driving vertical steel or concrete columns into the ground to create a foundation for a structure, such as a roadway bridge. Piles often need to be placed more than 100 feet underground to provide safe, stable foundations for bridges and overpasses.

Inspectors monitor vibrations to ensure there are no disturbances to nearby buildings. Noise levels can fluctuate, so pile driving occurs during daytime hours to minimize impacts to nearby residents, businesses, and visitors. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) conducted outreach and distributed more than 100 handouts to nearby businesses and communities to prepare for the operation.

Once completed, I-4 Express will feature two barrier-separated westbound express lanes from its current endpoint at Kirkman Road to just west of Sand Lake Road. The two barrier-separated lanes will then transition to a single, buffer-separated westbound express lane. The fully completed express lane will be constructed over the course of three separate projects extending from west of Sand Lake Road to west of World Center Drive. For more information about the project, visit i4beyond.com/sandlake.