(Stephen Barnes/Getty Images)
October 21, 2025 3:19 PM, EDT
Key Takeaways:
A truck parking expansion project being fast-tracked for completion by the fall of 2027 will add 100 spaces to an existing parking facility in Polk County at the Polk Parkway and I-4 interchange.DeSantis said the Polk truck parking project will cost $500 million and will be paid for through the state’s general revenue surplus funds.Construction started last month on another I-4 truck parking project in Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay area, northwest of Polk County.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced infrastructure projects that collectively will add 100 truck parking spaces and 17 miles of express lanes to the busy Interstate 4 freight corridor in the central part of the state.
A truck parking expansion project being fast-tracked for completion by the fall of 2027 will add 100 spaces to an existing parking facility in Polk County at the Polk Parkway and I-4 interchange. Existing right-of-way land will be converted for the parking area.
The I-4 corridor has one of Florida’s worst truck parking deficits; the stretch from Orlando to Tampa has just 90 public parking spots, but 18,000 trucks pass through the area each day. The area has the largest concentration of distribution centers in the Southeast.
DeSantis said the Polk truck parking project will cost $500 million and will be paid for through the state’s general revenue surplus funds.
“Every dollar we invest in transportation returns $4.26 to the local economy and creates jobs,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Jared Perdue, who joined DeSantis at an event to announce the plans.
In addition, FDOT will build 17 miles of new single I-4 express lanes in Hillsborough County in both directions from Interstate 75 to County Line Road. The new lanes are expected to ease congestion by separating long-distance traffic from local commuters. This planned project is being accelerated by 10 years with construction to start by 2028.
“Florida’s conservative policies and sound fiscal management have produced one of the strongest economies in the nation,” DeSantis said Oct. 16. “Through our Moving Florida Forward initiative, we are making record infrastructure investments and completing projects ahead of schedule to meet the needs of our growing state.”
Perdue noted the Polk project is part of a broader truck parking effort.
“We actually have an initiative underway now to bring over 1,400 truck parking spots to the I-4 corridor as a whole,” he said. “The governor has been laser focused on keeping our supply chain healthy, making sure we can be resilient and sustainable through any challenges that are thrown our way.”
Construction started last month on another I-4 truck parking project in Hillsborough County in the Tampa Bay area, northwest of Polk County.
This facility, being built on a 49-acre, state-owned site, will provide 160 truck parking spaces. The project, budgeted at $29.4 million, will incorporate modification of traffic signals and reconfiguring travel lanes along County Line Road to minimize truck delays and improve travel. FDOT will also install new signs, pavement markings and highway lights. This facility is expected to open next fall.
Spaces at these facilities will be managed by the state’s Truck Parking Availability System, through which drivers in real time via mobile devices and roadside signs can locate available parking locations.
“With 75% of Florida’s total freight moved by trucks, Gov. DeSantis has remained committed to expanding critical truck parking facilities throughout the state to support this vital industry,” his office noted.
As of FDOT’s “Trucking Parking Implementation Study: January 2023,” Florida had 300 public truck parking locations that collectively provided 30% of the state’s available truck parking, while the remaining 70% were provided by private facilities and truck stops.