ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014 Four years since the debut of I-4 Express, the Florida Department of Transportation is highlighting the improvements for drivers.<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
Since FDOT opened I-4 Express four years ago, there have been more than 70 million recorded trips
\nMore than $115 million in toll revenue has been collected on I-4 Express, between fiscal years 2022 and 2025
\nSince the express lanes debuted, drivers in the free lanes of I-4 are saving an average of five or more minutes per trip
\nFDOT has found lane-blocking crashes have dropped by 33%<\/p>\n
Kitty Khanna doesn\u2019t often use the toll lanes, but when she must make a delivery from her downtown Orlando flower store, she\u2019ll sometimes take I-4 Express to avoid delays.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely, the traffic is better overall. No doubt. It lessens the traffic,\u201d said Khanna.<\/p>\n
Since I-4 Express debuted four years ago, there have been more than 70 million recorded trips in the toll lanes.<\/p>\n
Last year, that broke down to, on average, 65,400 trips on a weekday.<\/p>\n
More than $115 million in toll revenue has been collected on I-4 Express between fiscal years 2022 and 2025.<\/p>\n
FDOT spokeswoman Britney Jones says state law dictates the use of the toll money.<\/p>\n
\u201cRevenue from I-4 Express is dedicated to project costs and future operating expenses,\u201d Jones said. \u201cAny additional funding goes toward future projects in the county or counties in which the toll revenues were collected.\u201d<\/p>\n
While FDOT can change the price if there\u2019s more traffic in the express lanes, the base price is typically 50 cents per toll segment.<\/p>\n
But when you have to drive on I-4 every day, like Khanna, that can add up. After all those years of I-4 Ultimate construction, she says that doesn\u2019t sit right with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have lived through six, seven years of expansion time, all that inconvenience and dust and busting my tires to get this road done. But then, when it is done, I am asked to pay money, which I am not very happy about it,\u201d Khanna said.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why Khanna often stays out of the I-4 Express lanes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I plan my time, I don’t have to use it unless I’m in a crisis mode,\u201d the owner of Leaf and Blossom Company said.<\/p>\n
But even if Khanna drives in those free general-use lanes, Jones says, it has had a benefit for all I-4 users.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers in the general use lanes are saving an average of five or more minutes per trip, adding up to more than three hours a month for a regular commuter, even without using the express lanes,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n
Speeds in those free lanes have also gone up. During the morning and afternoon rush, the average speed is 12 miles per hour higher than in 2019, prior to the express lanes opening.<\/p>\n
\u201cNaturally, the traffic gets diluted now because there is\u00a0extra space,\u201d said Khanna.<\/p>\n
It also means fewer crashes. FDOT has found that since I-4 Express opened four years ago, lane-blocking crashes have dropped by 33%.<\/p>\n
\u201cFewer blocked lanes mean less congestion, quicker response times for emergency service providers, and a safer, more predictable trip for drivers along the I-4 corridor,\u201d said Jones.<\/p>\n
Khanna would like to see some relief for locals and businesses that need to take the I-4 Express.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should have some kind of a rebate to the residents or the people who use this road every day,\u201d she told us.<\/p>\n
But the tolls, according to FDOT, help keep those managed lanes flowing, to give drivers a reliable commute.<\/p>\n
FDOT is certainly pleased with I-4 Express.<\/p>\n
Currently, a\u00a0westbound lane<\/a>\u00a0of I-4 Express is under construction from Universal Orlando down to Disney World.<\/p>\n FDOT is also building I-4 Express lanes in both directions in\u00a0Polk and Osceola<\/a>\u00a0counties.<\/p>\n