The I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project in Orlando, Florida, is reportedly falling behind on its scheduled 2021 completion date by nearly nine months.
According to local reports, I-4 Mobility Partners, the project builder, recently told the Florida DOT (FDOT) in a progress report that the $2.3 billion road construction project is delayed by around 260 days. The builder said the new project completion date could now be Sept. 23, 2021.
FDOT has said that details in the progress report are being reviewed and are subject to discussion, and that no time extensions or financial considerations have yet been granted.
The project is almost 60% complete, according to the latest progress report. Some of the factors playing into the delay of the construction timeline include affects from Hurricane Irma, foundation design flaws, a cracked bridge pier, delayed opening of a bridge, and two added tolling sites. Additionally, alleged opposition from local governments to requests for lane closures and detours have contributed to the schedule setbacks.
The I-4 Ultimate had run into other trouble earlier this year, as the project had been shut down for a week after a 59-year-old worker was hit in the head and killed by a 20-ft-long iron pipe on Feb. 4. This was the fourth worker killed since the 21-mile project began in 2015. Just a few days after the project reopened, three more workers sustained minor injuries after falling 15 ft from an elevated platform.
The I-4 Ultimate project is a P3 effort involving reconstruction and expansion of a 21-mile stretch of I-4 moving into the heart of Orlando. Work on the project began in 2015, and the project limits run between Orange County and Seminole County. Work includes added toll lanes along a 21-mile section from north of State Road 434 in Seminole, through Orlando, and to west of Florida’s Turnpike in Orange County.
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Source: Orlando Business Journal / Orlando Sentinel / ClickOrlando
