When the Florida Department of Transport announced that it had purchased the popular Crossroads Shopping Center just outside Walt Disney World's Hotel Plaza Blvd. entrance in Lake Buena Vista to help with 1-4 improvements we were heartbroken!
For many year's we had frequented the shops and restaurants here, remember The Disney Store? Or the best grocery store in Orlando, Gooding's, we miss our late night stops for cake on our way home!
The only saving grace was that FDOT had plans to help ease traffic congestion heading into Disney Springs by building a new interchange at State Road 535 and I-4 with a ramp that would have given direct access to Hotel Plaza Boulevard and Disney Springs, and anyone who has been caught in traffic on Hotel Plaza Boulevard, will know that was news to celebrate, but sadly it's not going to happen now.
The long-planned flyover from Interstate 4 to the Disney Springs area has been scrapped!
So basically, FDOT is no longer going to help ease traffic congestion heading in and out of the Disney Springs area on Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
The planned interchange would have allowed drivers on northbound SR-535 to make a right turn onto a flyover ramp to avoid SR-535 traffic and access Hotel Plaza Boulevard.
This would have helped eliminate backed up traffic on northbound SR-535 trying to access Hotel Plaza Boulevard, and in turn hopefully ease the lines of traffic being held up further back the line on the 1-4!
The new plan is to make a giant loop ramp from SR-535 to westbound I-4 on the former Croosroads land to eliminate the need for drivers to turn left across traffic to get onto I-4 west.
The work also includes lengthening the I-4 west exit ramp, realigning the I-4 west entrance ramp and building an express lane on I-4 west.
FDOT are of the opinion that this will still help the area, easing backups from SR-535 to I-4 west.
FDOT claim that the ramp into Disney Springs was axed to provide “the best return on investment.”
Only time will tell if FDOT have chosen the right way to go!
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