The I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project, a roadway reconstruction project in Central Florida and one of the most complex and extensive infrastructure projects in the United States, has received the prestigious Envision® Platinum award from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). The I-4 Ultimate Project was recognized at an awards ceremony on July 20, 2017 for its environmental, economic and social sustainability efforts along the 21-mile reconstruction project.

The I-4 Ultimate is the first project in Florida to receive recognition from ISI’s Envision sustainable infrastructure rating system and stands to be one of the largest Envision-verified projects. “This P3 project demonstrates that sustainability goals are achievable in infrastructure work of this magnitude,” said I-4 Ultimate Construction Program Manager for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Loreen Bobo, P.E. “We are achieving the primary vision of our agency while at the same time, enhancing the economic prosperity and preserving the quality of our environment and communities. This is a project that is bringing 21st century solutions to our transportation and infrastructure challenges in Central Florida.”

At the I-4 Ultimate Project, the complete 21-mile rebuild of Interstate 4 (I-4) through Central Florida, the Skanska-led joint venture team of Skanska, Granite and Lane (SGL) recently erected the second longest concrete girder in the State of Florida, a 208.21’FIB-96 weighing 266,090 pounds.

The Envision Award was formally presented to the I-4 Mobility Partners (I-4MP) team at a ceremony on July 20th in Orlando, Florida. The I-4 Ultimate Project is a public-private partnership (P3) between FDOT and I-4MP. The members of the I-4MP team include:

- Skanska Infrastructure Development (Equity Member)

- John Laing Investments Limited (Equity Member)

- SGL Constructors (SGL) – Construction Joint Venture – Skanska (Lead Joint Venture Partner) Granite Construction Company and the Lane Construction Corporation

- HDR and Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. (Design Joint Venture)

- Infrastructure Corporation of America (Lead Operations and Maintenance Firm)

“This award represents our commitment to achieving the highest standards for sustainable infrastructure under the Envision guidelines,” said Magnus Eriksson, Executive Vice President, for Skanska USA’s infrastructure development operations. “Our goal is to deliver one of the country’s most complex roadway projects, while reaching a state-of-the-art level of sustainable infrastructure performance. This prestigious recognition showcases how a public private partnership project can serve as a role model for other infrastructure projects.”

Created in 2012 through collaboration between ISI and the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure at Harvard University Graduate School of Design, the Envision system rates the impact of sustainable infrastructure projects as a whole. The system measures sustainability in five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Natural World, Resource Allocation, and Climate and Risk. These key areas contribute to the positive social, economic and environmental impacts on a community.

The I-4 Ultimate Project involves the reconstruction of 21 miles of roadway infrastructure from west of Kirkman Road in Orange County through Downtown Orlando, extending to the east of State Road 434 in Seminole County. The project is expected to transform the region by better connecting communities, improving the local economy and enhancing livability for residents. One of the most important benefits will be the improvement of traffic flow by easing congestion with the addition of four new variable toll express lanes and the reconstruction of 15 major interchanges, which includes widening 13 bridges, replacing 74 bridges and adding 53 new bridges, along with a pedestrian overpass on Kirkman Road and a signature pedestrian bridge at Maitland Interchange. When complete, the project will provide a visually appealing signature corridor with bold landscaping, accent lighting, enhanced bridge architecture and other aesthetic features.