Informational Open House Details Upcoming I-4 Improvements in Seminole County

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) hosted an informational open house this month about improvement projects to Interstate 4 (I-4) in Seminole County.

The projects will be split into two construction contracts. One contract will include adding an auxiliary lane and resurfacing eastbound I-4 from the end of the I-4 Ultimate project, east of State Road 434, to west of Lake Mary Boulevard and replacing the E.E. Williamson Road bridge. The other contract 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 projects will increase mobility and safety for commuters by adding additional capacity on eastbound I-4 and extending the lifespan of the roadway surface. The open house provided more than 200 attendees an opportunity to learn more about the improvement projects and discuss the plans with project representatives.

The new auxiliary lane on eastbound I-4 requires FDOT to rebuild the E.E. Williamson Road overpass. The bridge will be lengthened to provide more space underneath for I-4. It will also be widened to include a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on the eastbound side of E.E. Williamson Road and a 10-foot-wide trail on the westbound side. Both directions of E.E. Williamson Road will also include bike lanes that are more than 6 feet wide. No access to or from I-4 will added to the E.E. Williamson Road overpass.

Construction of these improvement projects is scheduled to begin in late 2019. During construction, lane closures on I-4 will be limited to overnight hours and lanes will reopen no later than 7 a.m. on weekdays. The E.E. Williamson overpass will be constructed in phases to maintain both eastbound and westbound access.

Items from the informational open house, including handouts, poster boards and a narrated presentation, are available to view or download at: https://fdot.tips/openhouse.

Employee Spotlight: Todd Helton, P.E.

FDOT Project Manager on
I-4 Beyond the Ultimate
Design Segments 2 and 4

Project Manager Todd Helton, P.E, has a lot of firsthand experience with the growth of Central Florida and what those changes can mean to the economy, roadways and lifestyle of his home region.

Helton grew up in DeLand, went to DeLand High School and graduated from the University of Central Florida with a degree in civil and environmental engineering. After a few years of working outside of Florida, he and his family returned to his hometown of DeLand, where he’s remodeling the house in which he and his wife are raising their young daughter.

As a project manager for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Helton knows how transformative I-4 Beyond the Ultimate will be for Central Florida. So, when he looks over designs and when he hears residents and motorists talk about their needs, he also thinks about his own family and friends and how changes on Interstate 4 (I-4) will affect them.

“We’re all going to use I-4,” said Helton, who has nine years of engineering experience, including three with FDOT. “We all want it to be safer and less congested for our families and for everyone who lives or visits here.”

As the FDOT team strives to balance the diverse needs of residents, commuters and businesses, he’s grateful for dedicated colleagues who help oversee the improvement project that will cover 40 miles of interstate. “I enjoy the challenges of working on a large project,” he said.

While the design phase of the project keeps moving ahead and toward construction, Helton tells Central Floridians who worry about being inconvenienced by the coming changes the very same thing he tells family and friends. “Please try to be patient because the ultimate goal is to make your commute safer and easier.”

With a young daughter and a lengthy list of renovation projects on a nearly 70-year-old house, Helton doesn’t have much time for hobbies. But when he can, he enjoys slipping away for a couple of hours of fishing.