FDOT considering new I-4 truck stop locations to supplement the mere 36 spots available

The Florida Department of Transportation is considering 11 proposed locations for truck stops along Interstate 4 as the need for truck parking continues to increase.

The 11 proposed sites are in Osceola, Orange, Seminole, and Volusia counties, and officials say that the building of a truck stop at any of these locations could help address a truck parking shortage along the I-4 corridor that is reaching critical levels.

“From Orlando north, to get to Daytona, there’s nowhere to park, absolutely nowhere,” said Brian Lindsey, a truck driver from Longwood, to My News 13.

“In 2018, FDOT conducted a statewide truck parking study to assess existing truck parking and future demand for truck parking across the state,” FDOT Public Information Director Jessica Ottaviano said. “The study found the I-4 corridor is the most critical corridor in the state, specifically between the Osceola/Polk County Line and Interstate 95. This segment was identified as a key freight corridor servicing between 7,000 and 20,000 trucks every day.”

For now, I-4 between the Osceola/Polk County line and Interstate 95 has only 36 truck parking spots – a number that is horrendously far below the estimated 481 spaces that studies show are currently needed, and even farther below the estimated 750 truck parking spaces that are expected to be needed in the next three years. North of Polk County, there are just two truck stops in Longwood for truckers on I-4 to use.

“I always have to cross my fingers when I plan on parking (at the Longwood rest stop) to go home, because I live 2 miles down the road,” said Lindsey. “Because I never know if I’m going to get a spot.”

The proposed locations for new truck stops are as follows:

• Osceola County
• 35.10 acres south of Osceola Polk Line Road near Orange Blossom Trail (3.87 miles from I-4)
• 24.30 acres north of Osceola Polk Line Road near Orange Blossom Trail (4.06 miles from I-4)
• Orange County
• 6.70 acres between John Young Parkway, Sand Lake Road and Florida’s Turnpike (2.90 miles from I-4)
• 6.80 acres north of Landstreet Road and west of State Road 528 (4.86 miles from I-4)
• 9.90 acres south of Landstreet Road and east of Parkers Landing (5.95 miles from I-4)
• 4.86 acres north of Landstreet Road and west of Tussway Boulevard (6.03 miles from I-4)
• 16.30 acres south of Tradeport Drive and east of South Orange Avenue (6.81 miles from I-4)
• 25.30 acres south of Tradeport Drive and directly across from Ringhaver Drive (7.74 miles from I-4)
• 12.40 acres north of Tradeport Drive and east of Ringhaver Drive (8.04 miles from I-4)
• Seminole County
• 26.2 acres along I-4 east, south of Orange Boulevard and west of Monroe Road (0.32 mile from I-4)
• Volusia County
• 1,164 acres along I-4 east and west, south of U.S. Highway 92 (0 miles from I-4)

The first public meeting regarding the potential locations will be held Thursday, March 3rd at the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens-Safari Room located at 3755 W. Seminole Blvd. in Sanford). A second meeting will be held Tuesday, April 5 in a meeting room at the Ramada Plaza by Wyndham Orlando located at 6500 International Dr.

Despite multiple potential truck stop locations, FDOt currently only has funding for the construction of one truck stop. Construction could start as early as 2026.