Governor Ron DeSantis Allocates $90 Million for Open-Road Multi-Lane Express Tolling Across I-4 Corridor

ORLANDO, Fla. — Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Secretary Jared Perdue announced on Monday the distribution of $90 million in state capital funding from the Moving Florida Forward infrastructure initiative to eliminate physical barrier toll plazas and install high-speed open-road electronic tolling gantries across the Central Florida expressway network.

The project encompasses major commuter corridors throughout Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, including State Road 408 (Spessard L. Holland East-West Expressway), State Road 417 (Central Florida GreeneWay), and the Interstate 4 corridor.

Relieving Severe Commuter Gridlock and Improving Highway Safety Physical toll plaza barriers have historically created dangerous bottleneck merge points on high-speed expressways, resulting in localized traffic queues and rear-end collisions during peak morning and evening tourist commute windows.

"Florida's population is growing at an historic pace, and we are building the modern transportation infrastructure to keep our economy moving without frustrating delays," Governor DeSantis said in Orlando. "By eliminating physical toll plazas and transitioning entirely to high-speed open-road electronic gantries, we are improving highway safety, eliminating stop-and-go traffic, and saving Florida commuters millions of hours every year."

Engineering Features and Toll Relief Programs The $90 million project package funds:

• Complete Demolition of Legacy Toll Plazas: Removing 14 physical concrete toll barrier booths and restoring full-speed continuous travel lanes.
• Overhead High-Speed Gantries: Installing automated optical license plate recognition and SunPass transponder readers capable of processing vehicles traveling at 70 mph.
• Expansion of State Toll Relief Credits: Governor DeSantis also confirmed that the state's 50 percent monthly toll credit program for frequent SunPass commuters remains funded, providing over $500 million in annual relief for Florida drivers.

Central Florida expressway authority executives and regional chamber leaders praised the accelerated construction schedule, pointing out that open-road tolling reduces vehicular idle emissions while improving travel time reliability for tourism and logistics fleets.