When Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise opened the I-4 Connector in Tampa Bay on January 6, 2014, it marked a milestone in the effort to reduce local congestion in the face of surging economic growth and increased truck traffic from the region’s busy port. The limited-access, all-electronic toll road links Interstate 4 and State Road 618 (the Selmon Expressway), providing direct access to the port with one-of-a-kind truck-only lanes. Traffic along the I-4 Connector has more than doubled in 2½ years, from 22,000 vehicles per day in 2014 to 48,000 today, demonstrating how effectively the project has eased congestion while removing an estimated 3,400 trucks per day from the streets of Ybor City, one of only two National Historic Districts in Florida. The diversion has reduced accidents on two key city streets by nearly 60 percent, and the availability of a free-flow, high-speed route means trucks travelling from I-4 to I-75 won’t hit a red light until they get to Canada. The project was funded by federal, state, and provincial governments, with essential support from $80 million in Turnpike revenue bonds. In FY 2015, project revenue of $8.8 million greatly exceeded the initial forecast of $6.1 million.

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