ORLANDO, Fla. — Interstate 4 traffic will be a lot worse this weekend after several eastbound exits are closed for construction.

Many of the closures heading into downtown Orlando will be closed all weekend, which means more traffic.

The general advice is: Take alternate routes or leave home as soon as you can to try to avoid traffic.

Eastbound lanes of I-4 are being shifted from Colonial Drive to Lee Road onto elevated lanes giving construction crews a lot more space to work.

This is something construction has been working on to do for the last two years. Of course, the shift means the commute into downtown will have to start earlier or end up in traffic.

However, the I-4 Ultimate Project spokesman says it may be a pain now, but it is a major step to finally finishing the project.

"We have seen a lot of smaller incremental changes but this will be one of the biggest changes we've had on the project to date. It will be a big wholesale change six miles with this shift. Once we finish this shift, we'll have eight miles continuously that are in those permanent lanes going from downtown all the way to Maitland," said David Parks.

Drivers heading south of the downtown exit on South Street before getting to State Road 408 or else they will end up having to exit all the way into Princeton and then take Orange Avenue back into downtown.

These changes should be completed by Monday in time for the morning commute.

The next set of changes is happening on the westbound lanes. They are being shifted onto what are now the eastbound lanes. ​

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