Anyone from Central Florida (or who has ever tried getting into Disney World by car) knows that driving down the I-4 is no easy feat: the interstate highway is long, prone to bottlenecks, and full of tourists and snowbirds unfamiliar with its twists and exits. A nightmare, in other words, for anyone rushing to get the fun started.
That impacts tourists too because you have to take the I-4 when you come in from the Orlando airport. You can also fall victim to the famously busy road if you're staying outside of the so-called "Disney Bubble" that's right near the company's four theme parks.
Now, Disney has something new that just might make those driving trips easier.
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Express Lane To Disney World? Sign Me Up
To take some driving stress off visitors, the Florida Department of Transportation has finally opened I-4 Express Lanes heading westbound or eastbound in Mickey's direction. In construction for the 21-mile stretch of highway to Disney World for years, the lanes finally opened to visitors last Saturday.
Free for the first five days, the lanes will soon cost 50 cents for each segment for a toll total of $3.50 during what the Orlando Sentinel reports is an "introductory period." After that, toll prices will be "adjusted based on traffic volumes in I-4 Express to manage congestion."
"The Florida Department of Transportation is providing motorists choices with managed lane options on some of its most heavily traveled highways," Florida's Department of Transportation Motorists have the option to enter the lanes, two in each direction, via limited access points to more reliably get where they need to gon told the newspaper in a statement. "Managed lanes are highway lanes designed to address congestion and have been successfully implemented in other areas around Florida, throughout the United States, and around the world."
What Will This Do To Disney Traffic?
While obviously an enormous boost for Disney visitors, the highway project is unconnected to the Walt Disney Company (DIS) — the $2.3 billion state effort to rework and widen the 21 miles of I-4 first began seven years ago and has faced many setbacks, financial problems, and delays.
As Disney World is the busiest amusement in the world, traffic around it is understandably substantial. That changed somewhat during the pandemic as the amusement park industry took a massive hit.
Between 2019 and 2020, visits to the country's 25 biggest parks (Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Studios are all on this list) fell by 67%, according to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM. While our exit from the pandemic has been haphazard at best, theme park attendance is rising steadily in 2021 and 2022 — the lanes, then, can be a major boost for Disney as well as a perk for drivers who don't want to get frustrated by traffic before even getting on their first ride.
"Motorists have the option to enter the lanes, two in each direction, via limited access points to more reliably get where they need to go," FDO said in a statement.
