ORLANDO, Fla. — A new traffic shift is coming to Orlando International Airport.
The plan is designed to get travelers around a multi-billion dollar construction project.
The plan affects the main road out of the airport, heading south to State Road 417.
“One of the reason we're putting traffic on the new southbound lanes is we need to construct the permanent northbound lanes, and that lane goes right where the current southbound traffic is,” said director of construction Mike Patterson.
The traffic shift is set for June 8. Officials said it will impact the southbound commute out of OIA by taking drivers up and over the active multi-billion dollar construction site.
The project includes an automated people mover on one side that will take people from the complex to the main terminal.
The other side includes rail access additions, such as All Aboard Florida, which is a high-speed rail that travels from Orlando to Miami.
But the biggest emphasis is the impending transition out to Jeff Fuqua Boulevard that engineers have tried to make seamless.
“They're now going to be on a permanent exit road. It will be kind of invisible to them. The signage will be clear; the same signage that's on the current southbound road will be on the, or rather, reopen southbound lanes, and it will be kind of invisible,” said Patterson.
While the southbound bridge opens in six days, the northbound bridge will open in the fall.
If the project stays on schedule, the first phase is expected to open next summer.
Cox Media Group
