ORLANDO, Fla. — Changes are coming to State Road 408 near Camping World Stadium. On Thursday, the Central Florida Expressway Authority Board approved Hubbard Construction Company as the contractor to start work, adding an extra lane, improving ramps and upgrading toll technology.
What You Need To Know
Work will start on SR-408 in January. A more detailed timeline of lane and road closures could be announced then
As part of a $218.7 million project, a 1.5-mile stretch between Church Street and I-4 will be expanded by one lane on the eastbound side of SR-408 to ease congestion to I-4.
The project also includes ramp improvements at the Tampa Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail exits and the I-4 interchange
The project is expected to take three years and should be completed in 2029, officials say
The work will begin in January, but officials said they expect it to take three years to complete. Some drivers said it is worth the construction headache to finally get some relief.
“I think that would be wonderful. That would help my everyday,” said Chris Bond, who drives SR-408 every day into downtown Orlando.
“It gets clogged usually after one of the toll stations, and then right before I-4 is usually when it gets clogged,” Bond said.
As part of a $218.7 million project, a 1.5-mile stretch between Church Street and I-4 will be expanded by one lane on the eastbound side of SR-408 to ease congestion to I-4.
“Save time, less stress. Traffic is stressful, less accidents, the whole bit,” Bond said.
The project also includes ramp improvements at the Tampa Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail exits and the I-4 interchange, and the toll sites on the ramps will be modernized to replace buildings with electronic entries.
“I think that is one of the reasons it causes the traffic is people trying to get back over (to the toll lanes) and get back in,” Bond said.
Central Florida Expressway officials want to work closely with the city of Orlando to take on that project at the same time as the renovations at Camping World Stadium.
“It is all about collaboration and coordination because there will be a lot of different work going on,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said. “You will have contractors working on the stadium. You will have contractors working on the local roads, the 408 itself, so making sure we know what each other is doing and coordinating the work efforts.”
Construction at Camping World Stadium is underway and should wrap up by summer 2027. CFX officials said they hope to have all local road projects completed so they are ready if the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars come to play in Orlando for the 2027 season, but the SR-408 construction will continue until 2029.
“That whole area, this will be a great improvement for the riding experience on the 408,” Dyer said.
Now that Hubbard Construction has been awarded the project, it will get to work on the timeline. More details are expected in January about lane and road closures during construction.