New westbound exit ramp now open at Interstate 4 and County Road 557 near Lake Alfred

The new westbound exit ramp from Interstate 4 to County Road 557 near Lake Alfred was scheduled to open early Wednesday morning, the Florida Department of Transportation announced.

Access to the new ramp is east of the CR 557 bridge and replaces the old partial cloverleaf ramp west of the bridge. There will be signs alerting drivers of the change.

All westbound I-4 traffic wanting to exit onto CR 557 (Exit 48) will use the new ramp, which takes motorists parallel to I-4 then curves north, running parallel to CR 557 for approximately 1,200 feet, DOT said in a news release.

Drivers will follow the new ramp to a stop sign and turn right to go northbound on CR 557, left to head southbound on CR 557 or cross both lanes to the ramp to reenter the interstate westbound.

Wildlife crossing: Path in Polk County will be 1st for I-4 between Tampa, Orlando

A new sales tax?: Traffic and road conditions continue to worsen in Polk County. Is a sales tax increase the fix?

What's the plan to fix it?: New apartments or not, Lake Miriam Drive is broken

Drivers traveling on CR 557 will continue to access I-4 from the same location. Only the westbound I-4 exit ramp is affected.

The new ramp is part of a project that includes reconstructing the interchange from an existing cloverleaf interchange to a diamond interchange with roundabouts at the ramps, replacing the two-lane bridge with a four-lane bridge, modifying CR 557 and I-4 within the interchange area and adding a new wildlife crossing under I-4. Completion is expected by fall 2023.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: New exit ramp opens on westbound Interstate 4 for CR 557