I-4 Ultimate: College Park Residents Concerned Over Noises

Traffic Inbox: I-4 Ultimate Project: College Park Residents Concerned Over Bridge Noises

BY Ryan Harper Orange County

PUBLISHED 11:40 AM ET Jul. 08, 2019 PUBLISHED 11:40 AM EDT Jul. 08, 2019

ORLANDO, Fla. — Residents are concerned about noises coming from the I-4 Ultimate Project on a bridge that goes over New Hampshire Street near the College Park area of Orlando.

Resident wants to see College Park return to 'normalcy'
FDOT sent someone to observe the noise on New Hampshire Street
TRAFFIC INBOX: Send us a question

I-4 Ultimate construction is not only an inconvenience for the drivers but also for those who live close to the roadwork.

Ray Brimer wrote in, saying he can't even bear to be outside in his own yard anymore due to vibration and noise from the new road surfaces on a nearby bridge.

Spectrum News 13 spoke with Rhea Crofton, another College Park resident who has lived with her husband and two children there for the last three years.

"We love College Park," said Crofton. "It's just the one cloud that hangs over this area right now."

Crofton was one of many Spectrum News 13 spoke with in the area directly surrounding the Interstate 4 Bridge over New Hampshire Street, directly in the shadow of the I-4 Ultimate Project.

Most people described adjusting to the noise and eventually learning to avoid it. However, that does not necessarily work every day.

"You can definitely hear the windows rattling whenever they are working, so it's pretty disruptive somedays," said Crofton.

Even with a sound barrier that went up in the past year, Crofton says the overall noise has only been reduced by about 25 percent.

"When our girls are napping, we always need to turn on the sound machine, because the construction is so loud," Crofton explained.

Spectrum News 13 spoke with FDOT and upon an inquiry, it sent a member to drive both directions of I-4, and that person then spent time doing observation at the corner of New Hampshire Street and Cornell Avenue.

The team member described a transition area from the eastbound asphalt lanes onto the concrete bridge deck and then back to asphalt for the bridge over New Hampshire Street. The member described tire noise across those transitions.

However, that portion of I-4 is not completed just yet.

I was also told that the final paving and restricting of the road over New Hampshire will be done sometime near the end of the project.

As for Crofton, she just hopes that when the roadwork is done, College Park will see a return to normalcy.

"It is a really great area, so if we can get past the construction now, it will be totally worth it," she says.

Here is what you can do if you have a similar complaint regarding the I-4 Ultimate Project.

People can reach out to the project team online https://i4ultimate.com/public-outreach-education/contact-us/ or by calling 1-844-ULT-INFO (1-844-858-4636)

Thanks for your question Ray! If you have your own traffic question or problem that you want looked at or solved, head to mynews13.com/trafficinbox and just fill out the simple form.

&amp;nbsp;