Tell me about the nightmare that is I-4

[debbiedana]

I feel like I'm cheating on Mickey...

Me, DH and DD4 are spending a week in St. Pete Beach and are going to take a day trip into Orlando. No mouse this time, we're checking out Universal Studios for just one day. We never venture off Disney property on our regular WDW trips, so this is our chance to see Universal.

Anyway, we're planning on going Tuesday, May 4th. I would like to be there for opening. What kind of traffic disaster am I looking at on I-4 (from Tampa to Orlando)? I hear such awful things about that road. Somebody, PLEASE make me feel better. I stupidly told DD we would go to Universal and she's all excited, so I can't take it away from her now.

So any insight into what I'm facing? Thanks!

 

[NCRedding]

We have travelled from Busch Gardens area to Universal in October. Travelling on I-4 was not bad to and from the WDW interchanges, but from WDW to Universal it was very heavy with traffic. For us, it was nerve wracking, but not horrible. I ahve heard some bad stories, but never experienced it.

 

[safetymom]

They are working on I-4 adding extra lanes. Construction may slow you down. It is from almost Tampa to the exits for Disney. Just allow extra time.

 

[jwill]

Leave as early as possible and stay at the the park untill the evening rush is over and you will be ok.

 

[safetymom]

Evening is worse because that is when they may have lane closures.

I have personally sat many evenings in I-4 traffic in the last several months because of the construction. Even when my daughter comes home at midnight she has sat in that traffic on certain evenings.

 

[ducklite]

I just drove I-4 from Tampa to the Orlando area and back this past weekend.

I started in Tampa at about 9:00am. Up around exit 29 or so there was a bad accident, and traffic was backed up for about five miles in the southbound lanes.

Traffic was heavy in both directions, and it was particularly congested around Lakeland.

There is construction ongoing through about half of the route. The speed limit seems to vary from 40 to 70, without much warning.

There are a lot of really bad drivers who are either going 30 miles an hour under the speed limit, or thirty miles an hour over the speed limit.

It took me just under 1 1/2 hours from the Tampa airport to SR 27, so ten miles before you hit Kissimmee's traffic. That included a ten minute stop at Mc Donalds for breakfast, and I was more or less doing the speed limit the entire way. I'd plan on it taking closer to two+ hours to get to Universal. And I was coming from Tampa, which is that much closer than St. Pete and on a weekend, so no rush hour traffic.

Anne

 

[debbiedana]

Thanks for the great information. We might have to rethink this a little now...I was hoping it wouldn't be a horrible traffic nightmare but that sounds like exactly what it's going to be. I really appreciate all the responses.