As many as 20,000 trucks travel the I-4 corridor between Daytona Beach and Tampa daily, according to the Florida DOT. (ablokhin/Getty Images)
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the Florida Department of Transportation Plans to begin construction on a new truck rest area with 132 spaces near Interstate 4 in Sanford just south of the Volusia County line.
But that won’t happen until 2026, and the remaining area won’t open until 2027. It shows the challenges truckers face finding safe places to park their large rigs in Central Florida.
He said the lack of parking for trucks is a “national problem”. Mark TriptzDOT project manager, at a recent Seminole County Commission meeting. “This is a particular problem in our area here.”
A 2018 DOT study showed that an additional 481 truck spaces are needed in the Central Florida area due to the growing number of large rig trucks on highways. By 2040, demand will increase to 883 parking spaces.
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Right now, as many as 20,000 semi-trucks travel daily on the I-4 corridor between Daytona Beach and Tampa, according to the Department of Transportation.
According to federal laws, drivers of long-haul trucks must stop to rest for 10 consecutive hours after driving 11 hours in a 14-hour period.
“Drivers are sleepy, it’s not safe for them to be on the roads,” Triptz said. “It’s not safe for the rest of the travelers.”
The Department of Transportation’s goal is to build at least one new truck stop site each in Osceola, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties by 2040, according to the latest plans.
The new Seminole truck stop location in Sanford will be located on 19 acres approximately east of I-4, between Orange Boulevard and School Street.
At a total cost of approximately $60 million—including the land purchase—the facility will include restrooms, a designated dog exercise area, electric vehicle charging stations, and an outdoor exercise dock.
The Department of Transportation is seeking federal infrastructure grants to help pay for construction of Seminole and other rest areas along I-4 in neighboring counties. Seminole commissioners this week agreed to send a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg He urged his agency to approve the grant application submitted by the state.
“This project has been on the books for some time,” Commissioner Bob Dallary said of the new truck’s comfort zone. “This has already been discussed in this county for at least 25 years, and I’m aware of that.”
We’re putting our citizens on track to manage truck stops for the entire I-4 corridor… Seminole can’t solve the (truck) problem for the entire area.
Seminole County Commissioner Andrea Hare
But the commissioner Andrea Hare She called it “extremely troubling” that the state agency is still years away from building other convenience facilities for weary truck drivers along I-4 in neighboring counties.
“If those people don’t advance at the same rate as they (in Seminoles), we’re putting our citizens on the truck stop management trail for the entire I-4 corridor,” she said. “This span between building these can’t be decades. … Seminole can’t solve the (truck) problem for the whole area.”
Other truck rest spots the DOT is considering near I-4 include:
- In Orange County, 20 acres off Sand Lake Road at John Young Parkway, which will provide 109 spaces.
- In Osceola County, 40 acres just south of State Route 532, near the CSX railroad tracks, which will provide up to 234 parking spaces.
- In Volusia County, 73 acres along eastbound I-4 in Port Orange, which will provide 275 spaces, and 117 acres along western I-4 in Daytona Beach near Tiger Bay State Forest, which will provide 253 spaces.
Those four sites are currently under consideration, and construction likely won’t begin until 2040, if that happens, officials said.
Truckers and drivers rest in the Longwood, Florida rest area along western I-4. (Ricardo Ramirez Buceda/Orlando Sentinel via Tribune News)
On August 16, truck driver Eduard Guiterrez was preparing to return on I-4 after he pulled into Longwood’s western rest area the night before. He began his journey near Little Rock, Ark. He was hauling several goods in his semi-truck to Fort Myers.
He considered himself lucky to have found an empty lot along I-4. In years past, truck drivers would often park along the entrance to the Longwood rest area, until state officials placed dozens of “no parking” signs along the road several years ago.
“This highway is the worst. Everyone knows it’s really bad to find a parking spot here. If he can’t find a spot, Guiterrez will park at a Walmart or some other business that has a large parking lot that allows truckers.”
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“I hope they do something soon,” he said of the Department of Transportation’s plans to build new rest areas.
Commissioner Jay Zimbur Private commercial truck stops—like Pilot’s or Love’s—along major interstate highways, he said, should build similar facilities that provide more amenities, such as restaurants and showers, at a faster and more efficient pace than a state Department of Transportation rest area. He hopes these companies will consider building along the I-4 corridor between Volusia and Osceola counties.
“That would be great,” Zimbur said.
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(tags for translation) truck parking spaces