en.Wedoany.com Reported - Federal and state transportation officials in Florida broke ground on a truck parking expansion project along the Interstate 4 (I-4) freight corridor, which will add over 900 truck parking spaces.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Administrator Derek Barrs stated that truck drivers should not have to choose between obeying the law and finding a safe place to park. These new parking spaces will help drivers get the rest they need, reduce dangerous roadside parking, and make one of Florida's busiest freight corridors safer for everyone.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) noted that a lack of adequate truck parking is forcing drivers to park on interstate mainlines, ramp shoulders, or vacant lots, often creating safety hazards. A 2024 FDOT Freight Mobility and Trade Plan analysis showed that during peak hours, truck parking demand in some areas of the state could exceed 150%.

Barrs, along with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Administrator Sean McMaster and FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue, broke ground on five truck parking expansion projects. The goal is to increase parking spaces along the I-4 corridor in central Florida, which handles 95% of the state's consumer goods transportation and has the highest concentration of distribution centers in the Southeast. The project received a $180 million federal INFRA grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program in fiscal year 2023-24.

Construction on the first three sites in Seminole County and Volusia County will begin this summer, with completion planned within one year. FDOT plans to launch subsequent truck parking projects in Osceola County and Orange County in 2027. Trucks carry 75% of all freight in Florida, and the I-4 corridor is one of the areas with the most severe truck parking shortages in the state; the stretch from Orlando to Tampa has only 90 public parking spaces, yet 18,000 trucks pass through the area daily.

FHWA Administrator McMaster emphasized that truck drivers deserve safe places to rest, and the Department of Transportation's funding for truck drivers enables Florida to expand and provide dedicated parking spaces where they are most needed, along the I-4 corridor, which has the highest unmet demand in the state.

FDOT highlighted the safety aspects of truck parking, noting that 40% of truck drivers must drive for over an hour each day to find parking, causing economic losses and forcing drivers to park in dangerous locations. State Senator Tom Wright (Republican), who also attended the groundbreaking ceremony, said that adding more parking spaces along I-4 will improve safety on the corridor, support truck drivers who drive economic growth, and ensure goods continue to reach families and businesses across the state.