I-4 traffic weekday morning?

[B.Mary]

I need to pick up a family member at the Greyhound bus station at 7:30 in the morning on a Wednesday. The bus station is on John Young parkway a mile or so west of downtown Orlando (according to Mapquest.)

I will leave the AKL at 7 a.m. to pick her up, and assuming she arrives on time, will be heading back down I-4 from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

How bad will the traffic be at that time on a weekday? Do I need to look for an alternate route that doesn't use I-4?

Thanks.

 

[Endeavour105]

I need to pick up a family member at the Greyhound bus station at 7:30 in the morning on a Wednesday. The bus station is on John Young parkway a mile or so west of downtown Orlando (according to Mapquest.)

I will leave the AKL at 7 a.m. to pick her up, and assuming she arrives on time, will be heading back down I-4 from 7:30 to 8 a.m.

How bad will the traffic be at that time on a weekday? Do I need to look for an alternate route that doesn't use I-4?

Thanks.

You'll be in the morning rush hour if you use eastbound I-4. It typically starts backing up to a crawl around the I-4/John Young Parkway interchange...and sometimes sooner - further west.

Personally, I'd plot a different route just in case but would use I-4 and take the chance. Watch the local tv news for traffic reports before you leave.

An alternate route would be I-4 to Kirkman rd. (northbound); Kirkman to Rt 50 (Colonial Dr.) eastbound; to John Young and I think you'll turn right on John Young (head south) and the bus terminal will be a short distance south on your left.

The return trip westbound shouldn't be a problem but it's possible you could experience some minor delays westbound -

Again, check the local TV stations before you leave.

 

[holcomb-mania]

Crap. I'm going to UO next Wed and Thurs mornings between 8-8:30am from AKL, and was planning on using I-4.

 

[ducklite]

I don't envy you. I'd just stay on I-4 eastbound to John Young Parkway north. It's a 20+ mile drive from AKL, I'd plan on it taking close to an hour, traffic gets ridiculously backed up on both I-4 and John Young, you will probably average under 40 mph, and there are several traffic lights that will hold you up on John Young. It would take someone who knew exactly where they were going at least the 30 minutes you are planning with no traffic.

On the return you'll hit a little volume, but it generally keeps moving, unless there's an accident.

Where is your relative coming from? If they are coming from the north, have them call you when they are leaving Deland. From that point you both have about the same drive time if you count you walking to your car, so you can plan accordingly if the bus is running early or late.

FYI--The bus depot is in a seedy and not so safe area, not someplace I'd want to leave someone waiting, even during the day.

 

[ducklite]

Crap. I'm going to UO next Wed and Thurs mornings between 8-8:30am from AKL, and was planning on using I-4.

Leave an hour earlier or an hour later, you are trying to use I-4 during the height of rush hour. (Even an hour earlier or later will still be crazy, but not quite as bad.) Maybe get there and have breakfast at one of the hotels there before hitting the parks? Or stop at the Starbucks at CityWalk and have a couple cups of coffee?

In all honesty there is no "slow" time on I-4. Even at 2:00 am it's nuts.

 

[Detailor]

Crap. I'm going to UO next Wed and Thurs mornings between 8-8:30am from AKL, and was planning on using I-4.

I try to avoid I-4 most of the time.
To get to Universal, I'd suggest that you make your way from AKL toward Downtown Disney, go up Hotel Plaza Boulevard and turn left onto 535 at the light. Get into one of the right lanes and take Palm Parkway. This road connects with Turkey Lake Road which runs behind Universal/IOA. Once you see the signs for Universal, turn right onto Hollywood Way and follow it until it ends - the parking garage access road will be directly across the street.
This all sounds like a lot, but once you've done it once you'll be glad that you avoided I-4.

Dick Taylor

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I need to pick up a family member at the Greyhound bus station at 7:30 in the morning on a Wednesday. The bus station is on John Young parkway a mile or so west of downtown Orlando (according to Mapquest.)
I will leave the AKL at 7 a.m. to pick her up, and assuming she arrives on time, will be heading back down I-4 from 7:30 to 8 a.m.
How bad will the traffic be at that time on a weekday? Do I need to look for an alternate route that doesn't use I-4? Thanks.

The Greyhound station on John Young Parkway is just north of the East-West Expressway (TOLL 408) and just south of SR 50, on the east side of JYP. Traffic headed towards downtown Orlando between 7am to 7:30am is likely to be pretty congested. The normal routing would be to take I-4 to the 408 westbound to the JYP exit northbound.

One alternative not mentioned which would work well, particularly since you are so far west in Disney, is to avoid I-4 completely by leaving Disney via the new Western Way road and using TOLL 429. But you would have 3 tolls using this route totaling $2.25 but hardly any traffic. Leaving AKL, turn left on Buena Vista Drive and then left onto Western Way at the light just before Coronado Springs Resort. (Signs here will point to TOLL 429). Western Way ends at the 429 which you take northbound. This is a brand new toll road with no traffic. At Exit#22 you'd get onto southbound Florida's Turnpike for one mile and then immediately onto TOLL 408 eastbound. Even though you are in-bound to downtown Orlando there is no congestion here on the 408. Exit at John Young Parkway, turn left/north and head one mile to the bus station on your right. When you head back to Disney I think you can use I-4 just fine because you'll be heading opposite from the in-bound rush hour traffic.

BobK/Orlando

 

[disdadathome]

Does the same hold true in reverse? If I am coming in toward Disney on I4 from 95 in the afternoon, is traffic worse heading west? In the times we have driven to Disney, about 1/2 the time I4 has been okay, no major delays, and the other half a nightmare. The worst is when we are 15 minutes away and you come to a dead stop. Do the locals suggest any alternatives to Disney from 95 that doesn't include I4? Do you take I4 part of the way and then get on less traveled roads as discussed in the responses? Any suggestions?

 

[Endeavour105]

Does the same hold true in reverse? If I am coming in toward Disney on I4 from 95 in the afternoon, is traffic worse heading west? In the times we have driven to Disney, about 1/2 the time I4 has been okay, no major delays, and the other half a nightmare. The worst is when we are 15 minutes away and you come to a dead stop. Do the locals suggest any alternatives to Disney from 95 that doesn't include I4? Do you take I4 part of the way and then get on less traveled roads as discussed in the responses? Any suggestions?

G*L on coming through Orlando on I-4 from I-95. Rush hour traffic starts building around 2-2:30 p.m. both eastbound and westbound.

From I-95, you could always take I-4 WB to The Greenway (RT 417) at the interchange in Sanford and bypass DT Orlando. 417 is a toll road and you will drive additional miles to get around the city, however, I'd much rather be moving any day than stuck in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.

 

[ducklite]

The Greyhound station on John Young Parkway is just north of the East-West Expressway (TOLL 408) and just south of SR 50, on the east side of JYP. Traffic headed towards downtown Orlando between 7am to 7:30am is likely to be pretty congested. The normal routing would be to take I-4 to the 408 westbound to the JYP exit northbound.

One alternative not mentioned which would work well, particularly since you are so far west in Disney, is to avoid I-4 completely by leaving Disney via the new Western Way road and using TOLL 429. But you would have 3 tolls using this route totaling $2.25 but hardly any traffic. Leaving AKL, turn left on Buena Vista Drive and then left onto Western Way at the light just before Coronado Springs Resort. (Signs here will point to TOLL 429). Western Way ends at the 429 which you take northbound. This is a brand new toll road with no traffic. At Exit#22 you'd get onto southbound Florida's Turnpike for one mile and then immediately onto TOLL 408 eastbound. Even though you are in-bound to downtown Orlando there is no congestion here on the 408. Exit at John Young Parkway, turn left/north and head one mile to the bus station on your right. When you head back to Disney I think you can use I-4 just fine because you'll be heading opposite from the in-bound rush hour traffic.

BobK/Orlando

I disagree with that statement. The turnpike is a mess through there and the 408 isn't any better. It's the main eastbound corridor for everyone win the western suburbs who work downtown--and there are plenty of them! The last time I was on the 408 during morning rush we were traveling along at a whopping 35 mph.

 

[ducklite]

G*L on coming through Orlando on I-4 from I-95. Rush hour traffic starts building around 2-2:30 p.m. both eastbound and westbound.

From I-95, you could always take I-4 WB to The Greenway (RT 417) at the interchange in Sanford and bypass DT Orlando. 417 is a toll road and you will drive additional miles to get around the city, however, I'd much rather be moving any day than stuck in bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic.

I agree with the advce to use the 417. You'll hit a little traffic between UCF and the airport, but none of it is unmanageable.

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

I disagree with that statement. The turnpike is a mess through there and the 408 isn't any better. It's the main eastbound corridor for everyone win the western suburbs who work downtown--and there are plenty of them! The last time I was on the 408 during morning rush we were traveling along at a whopping 35 mph.

Anne, I use the route quite often and have not run into congestion during morning rush hour eastbound towards downtown since the 408 was widened to 3 or more lanes. The 408 on the other side of downtown is indeed a mess, but not west of downtown. Also, this alternate route has the driver exiting at JYP which is a few miles before the I-4 junction. That said, even if the inbound traffic were moving at 35mph that is not bad at all compared to what I-4 will be moving at that hour.

Disdad, you can use I-4 westbound without a problem as long as you're passing through the downtown Orlando area by 4pm. It may be a little slow through downtown and again near the Attractions, but unless there is an accident you should get through ok. After 4pm the chances of crawling are pretty high. The 417 bypass as explained is a great alternative however you do have to stop for 5-6 tolls between Sanford and Disney. If you're a regular visitor you should consider purchasing a Sunpass or EPASS while you're here and pass the tollbooths at highway speeds.

BobK/Orlando

 

[B.Mary]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll try the alternate to I-4. I appreciate the local advice!

 

[DebbieB]

I was in Orlando a couple of weeks ago on a business trip. I spent Sunday night at POFQ, then drove downtown on Monday morning. I left POFQ about 8:10, I'd say it took about 45 minutes to get to the exit for Colonial Drive (Rt.50). But most of the traffic was after the Universal exit, probably the last 5 miles.