PLANT CITY, Fla. — Construction is underway on a new Interstate 4 truck parking facility designed to give commercial drivers a safer place to stop near the Hillsborough-Polk county line.
The Florida Department of Transportation is building the $29.4 million facility at the southwest corner of the I-4 and County Line Road interchange near Plant City.
The 49-acre site will provide 160 designated truck parking spaces and is expected to be completed in late 2026.
FDOT said a shortage of available truck parking can force drivers to spend long periods searching for spaces or park in unsafe locations, including interstate shoulders and entrance and exit ramps.
Federal transportation officials estimate that about 40% of truck drivers nationwide spend more than an hour each day searching for parking.
The new facility will be connected to Florida’s Truck Parking Availability System, which provides drivers with real-time information through a mobile application and electronic roadside signs.
The project also includes new and modified traffic signals, additional turning lanes, lighting, signs, pavement markings and other improvements intended to accommodate large commercial vehicles around the interchange.
The Hillsborough Transportation Planning Organization is also scheduled to consider a proposal Wednesday that would add six electric truck-charging spaces to the facility.
The Plant City project is part of a broader effort to increase truck parking along I-4. FDOT announced in June that a $180 million federal grant would help add more than 900 spaces along the Central Florida corridor.
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