SR 528 (Beachline) Widening from I-4 to McCoy Road
DRMP provided design services for the $140 million SR 528 (Beachline) widening project from Interstate-4 to McCoy Road in Orange County, Florida to relieve congestion by improving capacity on the major thoroughfare where 85,000 commuters and counting drive daily. SR 528 is a major route between the Orlando attractions and Orlando International Airport. The project has been designed and constructed in a number of phases.
In 2002, the original design included evaluating widening 8-miles of SR 528 from 4-lanes to 8-lanes and the preparation of construction plans for a 6-lane facility. These limits were from I-4 to McCoy Road. The project was subsequently broken into smaller construction projects.
The first project constructed a new electronic tolling gantry, which replaced an existing cash toll plaza. The second project widened 4 miles from 4-lanes to 6-lanes from Florida’s Turnpike and McCoy Road and construction was completed in 2008. This segment included inside and outside roadway widening new ramp bridge at CSX Spur and bridge widenings at Florida’s Turnpike, US 441, Landstreet Road, CSX Mainline, Orange Avenue, and McCoy Road. The project also included environmental permitting, signing and pavement markings, lighting, ITS and right-of-way mapping.
The design of the third project widened 4-miles from I-4 to Florida’s Turnpike from 4-lanes to 8-lanes to incorporate tolled express-lanes. This project includes inside and outside roadway widening to accommodate two express lanes and two general use lanes in each direction; bridge widenings at I-Drive and Universal Boulevard; two new ramp bridges at John Young Parkway; and a replacement bridge over Shingle Creek. The project also included environmental permitting, design of a new toll gantry, signing and pavement markings, lighting, and ITS.
A final project was designed to widen the 4 miles from Florida’s Turnpike to McCoy Road from 6-lanes to 8-lanes by adding one lane into the median. This project includes bridge widenings at Florida’s Turnpike, US 441, and Land Street Road, as well as modifications to the existing existing toll gantry and existing toll plazas.
This project provided the roadway with much needed capacity and safety improvements. Motorists have the opportunity to make the choice to use express lanes or the general toll lanes. The express lanes relieved congestion. This project improved capacity between Orlando’s tourist corridor and the Orlando International Airport.
Awards
- 2021 Engineering Excellence Grand Award in Transportation from American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Florida Chapter
