A nearly $500 million effort to add express lanes along a key stretch of Interstate 4 in Central Florida has cleared a major procedural hurdle, bringing the long-anticipated project closer to construction.
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The Hillsborough County Transportation Planning Organization recently approved TIP Amendment 43, formally adding the Florida Department of Transportation’s I-4 Widening project to the county’s Fiscal Year 2026–2030 Transportation Improvement Program. The decision advances plans for a 17-mile expansion of the interstate between Tampa and Plant City.
The project will add one express lane in each direction on the inside of I-4, with planning documents presented at the board meeting also confirming long-term plans for a second express lane in each direction. In addition to widening the roadway, the project scope includes widening bridges over seven cross streets, constructing retaining walls, and upgrading signage and pavement markings.
The work will also incorporate Intelligent Transportation Systems designed to improve traffic management and safety along the corridor.
During the board meeting, officials cited projected growth in traffic demand as a key justification for the project. Forecasts show vehicle trips along this section of I-4 could double over the next 20 years, straining an already congested corridor. One presenter described existing travel conditions as “unreliable.”
Current cost estimates place construction at $495.5 million, including $3.7 million in combined state and federal funding for project design. Florida DOT plans to advertise the work as a modified phased design-build project, allowing portions of construction to begin while design continues on later phases.
The project timeline was significantly accelerated in late 2025. In October, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the start date had been moved up by a decade, with construction now expected to begin in 2028 rather than 2038. A press release from the governor’s office described the express lanes project as “separating long-distance traffic from local commuter traffic.”
Once complete, the expanded I-4 corridor is expected to improve regional mobility, reduce congestion for daily commuters, and better accommodate long-distance travel through one of Florida’s fastest-growing regions.
Originally reported by Ben Thorpe in Equipment World.
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