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Discover the Ultimate Gateway To Downtown Orlando |
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To even the most metropolitan observer, downtown Orlando has a lot to offer. As one of the region’s most important business centers, the home to 2009 NBA Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic, a hotbed of local music, a multifaceted restaurant destination and an entertainment outlet to millions of residents and tourists every year, there is never a shortage of people traveling to enter downtown.
And last summer, a proper gateway was constructed for the high volume of traffic heading downtown.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened a new Interstate 4 ramp into the heart of downtown Orlando intended to help drivers get to work, sporting events and nightlife destinations quickly and efficiently. Eastbound I-4 drivers can use the South Street exit (Exit 82B), nicknamed “The Gateway Ramp,” to get to the Amway Arena, Bob Carr Performing Arts Center and the surrounding area more easily than ever before while avoiding backups on the interstate.
“With thousands of new residents, lots of new restaurants and the new event center,” said Frank Billingsley, director of economic development for the City of Orlando, during the ramp’s opening last August, “there is so much going on downtown. This is going to make it really easy to get right to the core of downtown from Interstate 4, so we’re really excited about this.”
The advantage for eastbound I-4 drivers taking the Gateway Ramp downtown, as opposed to other exits, mostly comes from the ramp’s length. The Gateway Ramp may initially seem too far away from the heart of downtown to be viable. That is because the exit is longer than other downtown ramps. The length of the ramp is designed to better handle heavy traffic volume during popular downtown events. At the endpoint of the ramp is a mere block from Orlando City Hall and the new Orlando Event Center currently under construction.
“This is going to reduce congestion and improve safety,” said Noranne Downs, FDOT District 5 secretary, also during the ramp opening. “The stop-go, stop-go traffic is going to be much less. Travel times will be quicker.”
Although the ramp has been open for almost a year, many I-4 drivers still take other ramps into downtown. The Gateway Ramp’s capacity often isn’t reached, especially during major downtown events, resulting in unneeded traffic congestion on I-4 and into downtown.
On eastbound I-4, immediately after the Orange Blossom Trail exits (Exits 80A and B), a right-hand auxiliary lane forms which ultimately leads to the (South Street) "Gateway Ramp" (Exit 82B). The exit is located just past the eastbound I-4 exit to SR 408 (Exit 82A).
While traveling to the Amway Arena and the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center, taking the Gateway Ramp and continuing north on Garland Avenue should make it easier to make your reservation, catch tip-off, be there for opening curtain or simply to unwind that much sooner. |
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