New I-4 Beyond Website Launches

Stay informed about the Florida Department of Transportation’s I-4 Beyond the Ultimate design projects with the launch of the revamped, interactive website i4Beyond.com.

The newly updated website is designed to provide a user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality. The website includes detailed information about the I-4 Beyond the Ultimate design, traffic operation and capacity improvement projects.

i4Beyond.com is the go-to resource to stay up to date on progress of the design process. The website provides rich online content with essential information relating to the design projects, including upcoming public meetings, plans and milestones.

One of the main features of the new website is the interactive “Project Map & Info.” Using this feature of the website, users can quickly find details for any one of the 20-plus different Interstate 4 (I-4) interchanges that make up the I-4 Beyond the Ultimate design projects.

The new website also offers real-time traffic and construction detour information under the “Construction Info” tab. This part of the new website is in sync with the same map on the I-4 Ultimate project website (i4Ultimate.com). So, the two websites display the same construction information for lane, road and ramp closures along the I-4 corridor. Users will have the ability to sign up for personalized construction alerts for both I-4 Ultimate and I-4 Beyond the Ultimate projects.

Also through i4Beyond.com, users can sign up to receive real-time news about the design projects. Anytime news is posted to the website, subscribers receive an email with the new information. Sign up for the advance construction alerts or the website newsfeed at www.i4Beyond.com/sign-up.

Spotlight Employee: Catalina Chacon, P.E.

Consultant Project Manager Supervisor on
I-4 Beyond the Ultimate

Catalina Chacon always loved math. Its rigor and precision fascinated her.

As a youngster growing up in Colombia, she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do for a living. “But I knew it would involve math. I loved math and science. I loved that it was so exact. There was only one right answer and you were certain you were correct. I loved the feeling of getting it right.”

Indeed after her family moved to the U.S., Chacon continued her math studies at Winter Park High School, Valencia College and the University of Central Florida, where she eventually decided that while the abstract beauty of mathematics was awesome, the practical needs of a career would steer her toward civil engineering. She found that world rewarding as well. “There’s something special about seeing a design grow from a computer screen or sheet of paper to the construction in front of you.”

After college, Chacon began her career with the Florida Department of Transportation, where she enjoyed learning to design projects that improve safe traffic flow. Then as she shifted to project management, she was confronted by variables for which there were no mathematic formulas – people. All those unique residents, commuters, officials and business leaders with their opinions, wishes and real-world concerns could not be contained in neat equations.

But the new challenges energize her and expand her thinking. “I grow so much and learn so much. I come into the office and wonder: What am I going to learn today? I love the challenge of explaining new concepts. And we have such top-notch, experienced people here to help.”

Chacon said she is honored to part of the big project that supports a growing region by dramatically improving its main corridor. “It’s so dynamic. It’s so changing. I love it.”

In her spare time, Chacon is an avid bicyclist. But these days she and her husband (who are both sci-fi fans) spend a lot those free moments taking care of their 13-month-old daughter, who naturally, adds even more unpredictable variables to her family’s world. “She changed our lives.”

I-4 Workers Stay Safe in Heat with Methods All Can Use

There are tips for all of us in how workers on Interstate 4 stay safe in the summer heat.

Keep a good supply of water nearby and know where to find shade or a cool spot, so you don’t overheat.

The I-4 Ultimate and I-4 Beyond the Ultimate projects have a diverse workforce and draw people from all over the nation, who may not have experienced the sometimes blazing Florida heat. And so it’s also true that many new Florida residents may underestimate the effects of heat and humidity in daily activities or weekend recreation. Everyone exposed to the searing Florida weather needs to stay hydrated and remember to take swigs of water before feeling parched.

Drinking energy drinks or caffeinated drinks are discouraged, as they may reduce hydration. Frequent pauses to hydrate are highly encouraged. Workers with SGL – the joint construction project of Skanska, Granite and Lane – are encouraged to drink eight to 12 ounces of water every 30 to 45 minutes, even if just doing light activities outside. For more strenuous activities in hot weather, workers should drink more.

Other safety tips include wearing light-colored clothing to help reflect heat, keeping as much skin covered as possible and using sunscreen.

SGL’s heat awareness and heat illness prevention initiatives include extensive training, preparedness and daily dialogue regarding the prevention of heat-related illness. Heat-related illness on the project can range from an uncomfortable heat rash to more advanced conditions such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Water, concrete and sand reflect the suns heat and harmful rays. Sunscreen, although essential and an effective part of our plan, it alone is not enough to keep our team safe.