The City of Orlando is bustling with all sorts of construction activity on the west side of the interstate, although not all of it is directly related to the new venues.

June 1, 2009 the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) began construction on foundations for a ramp from westbound Interstate 4 to SR 408. The FDOT is drilling two shafts at six locations along Hughey Avenue between Church and South streets right next to the new Orlando Events Center, future home of the Orlando Magic, that will open in 2010. Hughey Avenue between Church and South streets will remain closed until completion of the project in late September/early October.

At the end of the project, the foundation work will be covered until the Ultimate I-4 improvements begin. The ramp from westbound I-4 that will be supported by this foundation will divide into two separate ramps; one for eastbound SR 408 and one for westbound SR 408. The FDOT is performing this work now to reduce the impacts to the Orlando Events Center visitors, athletes and performers when I-4 is being widened in the future as well as to reduce potential impacts to the building structure itself.

Each of the twelve drilled shafts will be 5 foot in diameter. FDOT anticipates that the shafts will be 100’ to 125’ deep. The depth of the drilling of foundation supports is determined by a combination of the amount of the anticipated weight of the structure it is holding and the density and type of the surrounding soil.