ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — State transportation leaders are moving forward with plans aimed at reducing congestion near the Florida Mall, where Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), State Road 528 and Florida’s Turnpike converge.
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is planning the Orlando South Ultimate Interchange, a project that would add direct-connect ramps between the Turnpike and State Road 528 and make improvements to nearby surface streets.
The overall project is expected to cost more than $1 billion and will be split into segments, with public meetings on the first segment scheduled for next week.
The area is one of the most congested spots in Central Florida. Mayling Martinez, a building manager whose workplace is on Consulate Drive, said crashes and backups are common.
“I would say once a month, there’s always an accident,” Martinez said. “And how do I know that? Because they always end up parking here in our premises.”
Martinez said driving through the area can add significant time to her day.
“It takes me from my job to get to the next light about, I kid you not, like 10 minutes, because it’s bad,” she said.
She said the merge from the Turnpike exit onto Orange Blossom Trail is especially difficult.
“And then there’s the exit from the Turnpike that’s trying to merge into OBT,” Martinez said. “It makes it almost sometimes impossible.”
Martinez said the backups often lead to sudden stops.
“And then you see all those skid marks,” she said. “There’s a bunch of skid marks and everything because people try to stop.”
The first segment of the project is focused on relieving congestion on Landstreet Road. The proposal includes a new eastbound State Road 528 on-ramp from Gills Road and a westbound State Road 528 off-ramp to La Quinta Drive.
The state is also considering truck parking on a parcel owned by the Florida Mall near the new 528 off-ramp at La Quinta Drive.
Martinez said the added access could help people who work in nearby warehouses and other local businesses.
“Then all the locals here and the warehousing people, we would have this, you know, more access, and it’ll be better,” she said.
The project also calls for expanding capacity on the Turnpike southbound off-ramp to Consulate Drive, increasing capacity on Consulate Drive at the Orange Blossom Trail intersection and widening Orange Blossom Trail as it approaches Consulate Drive.
Martinez said those changes could improve the daily commute for people who travel through the area.
“I would think that traffic will flow way better,” she said. “It would be much easier to drive.”
Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise found the proposed changes would lead to an overall 9% reduction in delays when all intersections in the area are combined.
Martinez said even a modest improvement would make a difference.
“It would be a little bit less worries,” she said.
Construction is not set to begin until 2028.
Here’s the information for the public meetings:
Virtual: Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 5:30 pm
In-Person: Thursday, June 18, 2026, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Location: University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Disney Dining Room, 9907 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819