LONGWOOD, Fla. — Work will begin later this summer on three truck parking locations desperately needed along I-4 in Central Florida.

What You Need To Know

Construction could begin as soon as this summer on a truck parking location in Sanford, and a pair of truck parking spots in Volusia County

A recent study for FDOT found there’s a need for 750 truck parking spots in Central Florida

Truck drivers can spend hours looking for a place to park

FDOT is also looking at truck parking facilities for Osceola and Orange counties

“The later you go in the day, the harder it is,” said truck driver Anthony Stalhood. “So, if you aren’t parked in most places by, say, 5 p.m., good luck.”

The Longwood rest stops, the only two I-4 truck parking locations north of Polk County, have just 36 truck parking spaces.

A previous study from FDOT found the need in Central Florida is for 750 truck parking spots.

“I dropped and hooked in Lakeland, and I looked for over two plus hours for a place to park,” Stalhood recalled. “And I ended up going, because I was going north, I ended up parking at the… Palm Coast weigh station.”

Stalhood is not alone. An estimated 40% of truck drivers spend over an hour searching for a place to park.

“There’s no real truck stops in Orlando,” he said.

FDOT has a plan to address that problem. New truck parking facilities are being developed for Osceola, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties.

Construction starts as early as this summer on a new truck stop in Sanford and two more stops along I-4 in Volusia County.

The Sanford site, off the I-4 and US-17/92 interchange, will have 132 truck parking spaces.

The Volusia County spots, one on each side of I-4 west and east, will have a combined 540 parking spots.

FDOT is planning another 245 spots at a proposed Osceola County facility and 93 spaces in Orange County.

That adds up to just over a thousand truck parking spots.

“I-4 is a significant route for the state’s supply chain, and these projects will support the state’s freight industry and enhance safety and mobility,” said FDOT District 5 spokeswoman Cindi Lane.

Lane says the Seminole, Volusia and Osceola truck stop projects are being accelerated thanks to a U.S. Department of Transportation grant for $180 million.

Truck parking construction in Osceola County will begin in 2027, per FDOT.

“The demand is anticipated to increase with the continued growth of population and as more facilities like the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Volusia County, the Northport Industrial Park in Seminole County, the Infinity Park in Orange County, and JELD-WEN in Osceola County continue to be developed to better serve the region’s population,” said Lane.

Seminole County commissioners say they have been promised by FDOT that when all the new truck stops open across our region, then they will ask the federal government to close down the two current rest stops.

As Spectrum News 13 has reported in the past, Longwood residents behind the two current rest stops have complained for years about the air quality and noise from the trucks.