408 Toll in Orlando FL widened to 10 lanes for a stretch around CBD (REVISED)

November 22 and 23 Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) opened 1.4km (0.86 miles) of two extra lanes eastbound on the FL408 East-West Expressway over the Lake Underhill Bridge between Conway Rd to Crystal Lake Drive. This links two recently widened segments either side eliminating a "pinch point". It was one of those by-itself-small road openings but part of a much larger and gradually unfolding rebuild that will  - in more bits and pieces - modernize and nearly double the capacity of one of the busiest stretches of expressway in the Orlando central Florida area.

The widening involved a new wider decked bridge about half mile (730m) long over Lake Underhill (see picture at bottom.)

This bridge structurally a conventional girder bridge with some 20 spans over the shallow lake.

Unfortunately, and this is a subjective judgment it has what to our eye is a clumsy and contrived 'signature' feature - heavy towers and cable stays that serve no structural purpose.

Dubious esthetics aside, the rebuilt expressway will provide greatly improved movement through central Orlando for many years to come. It's now 2x5 through lanes plus a sixth auxiliary lane in places - auxiliary lanes go from one entry ramp to the next exit ramp, and don't go 'through' the interchange.

Capacity of the FL408 2x3 through lanes and no auxiliary lanes before the rebuild was put at about 124k/day but actual traffic averages 130k veh/day. The rebuild will increase capacity to 200k to 220k - approximately the forecast traffic in 2025.

A major function of the extra lanes will be to handle the mix of entering and exiting traffic traffic - the 'weave' - in a stretch with frequent on and off ramps. It will also allow a third highway speed open toll lane each direction through the Conway Main Plaza (Plaza C) and reduce friction between motorists using the highspeed lanes as opposed to the cash and roll-throughs.

The Conway Toll Plaza was rebuilt with the the highway speed lanes through the center and a split or staggered configuration for the cash plazas.

In five or ten years time elimination of cash collection - institution of all-electronic tolling - would allow for smoother traffic flow and greater capacity by eliminating the need to sort and merge traffic at each end of the toll point. However spokesman Brian Hutchings says the Orlando authority has no plans to go to all-electronic because of the large numbers of tourists who drive the expressways.

Back in September OOCEA opened similar widening/rebuild westbound in much the same stretch.

This is the finish up of a $200m 4.25km 2.6 mile rebuild Crystal Lake Drive to Oxalis Avenue with sound walls and landscaping. Work started in the fall of 2007

The project was on budget and on time, the authority says.

An early version of the larger project involved a fancier bridge design that brought in bids that the authority considered too high. So they took the bridge section out as a separate project, redesigned the bridge to make it more affordable.

The latest work is an extension of $640m improvements to FL408 conducted from August 2003 between Hiawassee Road and Crystal Lake Drive - some 13.9km (8.6 miles) on both sides of intersecting I-4 and the central business district of Orlando.

Now two mainline toll plazas have been rebuilt for 3 lanes each direction of highway speed or open road tolling with cash to the sides.

Asphalt in place of concrete pavement

In the rebuild all the concrete pavement was removed. The concrete was ground up and reused as base for the asphalt pavement that now gives motorists a better ride.

Next stage is probably the widening and modernization of another of 6.5km (4 miles) eastwards to FL417.

The older 'stages' map nearby divides the project somewhat differently from our description - based on more recent divisions of the project - but is the best available.

see http://www.expresswayauthority.com

TOLLROADSnews 2009-11-23 REVISED 2009-11-24 15:00