Public Invited to Open House to Learn About I-4 Proposed Improvements in Seminole County

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will hold an informational open house from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12, to discuss proposed improvement projects to Interstate 4 (I-4) in Seminole County.

The open house will be held at the Lake Mary Events Center at 260 N. Country Club Road.

The proposed projects include reconstructing the E.E. Williamson Road overpass and constructing an additional auxiliary lane from the end of the I-4 Ultimate project through Lake Mary Boulevard. It also includes resurfacing eastbound I-4 from west of Lake Mary Boulevard to County Road 46A and State Road 46 to the Volusia County line.

The meeting will provide residents and motorists with details about the proposed improvement projects and a potential timeline for construction. Design engineers will be on-site to answer questions and explain the proposed improvements with the help of large display maps, video and informational handouts. Attendees can comment on and ask questions about the projects.

The I-4 Beyond the Ultimate designs are improving safety and mobility through a combined 40 miles of I-4 in Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. For efficiency, the Florida Department of Transportation has organized I-4 Beyond the Ultimate into six design segments.

For more information about I-4 Beyond the Ultimate and the Seminole County informational open house, visit i4beyond.com.

Polk County Staff Learn About Preliminary Designs of Improved I-4 and U.S. 27 Interchange

The Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) I-4 Beyond the Ultimate team recently provided a detailed update to Polk County government staffers about design plans to improve the Interstate 4 (I-4) and U.S. 27 interchange.

U.S. 27 in Polk County is a rapidly growing transportation corridor for residential, tourist and commercial traffic. Polk County experienced nearly 8 percent growth in population and 6 percent growth in employment over the past few years. Traffic on U.S. 27 is expected to continue to increase with the opening of distribution centers north of I-4. Local tourist attractions continue to draw a growing number of visitors.

FDOT is designing mobility and safety improvements through this interchange by:

• Adding direct-connect ramps from the westbound I-4 Express Lanes to U.S. 27 and U.S. 27 to the eastbound I-4 Express Lanes.
• Building two echelon interchanges where the I-4 ramps meet U.S. 27.
• Removing one traffic signal each from northbound and southbound U.S. 27.
• Reducing the number of signal phases on the remaining traffic lights.

Farther south on U.S. 27, FDOT plans to elevate the highway over the busy intersection with Posner Boulevard and Home Run Boulevard. It also plans to add an elevated U-turn ramp to allow drivers on Posner Boulevard to more easily access northbound U.S. 27. This will eliminate another traffic signal and allow U.S. 27 traffic to flow more freely through the area.

The design of the U.S. 27 interchange, along with the entire 4 miles of Segment 5, is currently underway. Concept plans will be completed in January 2019. An informational open house for Segment 5 designs will be held in spring 2019.

The I-4 Beyond the Ultimate designs are improving safety and mobility through a combined 40 miles of I-4 in Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. For efficiency, the Florida Department of Transportation has organized I-4 Beyond the Ultimate into six design segments. For more information about ongoing design plans for Segment 5 in Polk County, visit: i4Beyond.com/segment5.

Employee Spotlight: Hatem Aguib, P.E.

Project Manager on
I-4 Beyond the Ultimate Segment 3

Hatem Aguib thrives on challenges. He likes to work through the complexities of big projects. Math is fun for him. He even likes competitive obstacles races, where runners have to climb, crawl, slosh or leap a series of difficult barriers like high walls, thick mud and pools of freezing water.

“I’ve always liked challenges. If I didn’t have anything new to challenge me, I’d be bored,” said Aguib, who is a project manager for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

One of his current challenges is managing the design and eventually the construction of the roadway segment between the current end of the Wekiva Parkway and Interstate 4 (I-4). As part of Design Segment 3 in the I-4 Beyond the Ultimate project, the overall work will include widening or replacing approximately 25 bridges.

I-4 Beyond the Ultimate includes parts of five counties and dozens of communities, so FDOT project managers have to be aware of the interplay of diverse concerns, dozens of deadlines and new challenges that arise every day.

But all the moving parts just make the puzzle more interesting to Aguib, who said he likes to remember some advice he got early in his career as a civil engineer: “Don’t be afraid of challenges. If you work hard, you can overcome it.”

While growing up, Aguib wasn’t exactly sure of what sort of work he wanted to do, but he always liked math. “And I was always fascinated by bridges, roadways and buildings.” That may not be surprising considering that several relatives also are engineers with advanced degrees.

Indeed, he was born in Ohio, where his father was completing a doctorate in civil engineering from Ohio State University. Afterward, the youngster returned to Egypt with his parents and lived there for several years. With full support from his father and mother, Aguib returned to study in the U.S. and earned a master’s degree in civil engineering from the University of Central Florida.

Although spare time is rare these days, Aguib likes to play soccer with friends and spend time with his wife, who is studying for a degree in the biomedical field.

I-4 Beyond the Ultimate is designing safety and mobility improvements on 40 miles of I-4 in Volusia, Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Polk counties. For efficiency, the Florida Department of Transportation has organized I-4 Beyond the Ultimate into six design segments. For more information about ongoing design plans for Segment 3 in Seminole County, visit: i4Beyond.com/segment3.