Orlando's major artery is Interstate 4. Locals call it I-4 or that #@$*%^#!! It runs diagonally across the state from Tampa to Daytona Beach. Exits from I-4 take you to all of the Disney properties, Universal, SeaWorld, International Drive, U.S. 192, Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista, downtown Orlando, and Winter Park. Most exits are well marked, but construction is common and exit numbers have been recently changed (see www11.myflorida.com/trafficoperations/exitnumb/i_4.htm for more information). If you get directions by exit number, always ask the name of the road, too, to avoid getting lost. (Cellphone users can dial tel. 511 to get a report of I-4 delays.)
The Florida Turnpike, a toll road, crosses I-4 and links with I-75 to the north and Miami to the south. U.S. 192/Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway is a major east-west artery that reaches from Kissimmee to U.S. 27, crossing I-4 near World Drive, the main Walt Disney World entrance road. Construction on 192, planned to last at least through 2003, creates backups as bad as the ones on I-4 during rush hour (7-9am and 4-6pm daily). Farther north, the BeeLine Expressway (Hwy. 528), also a toll road, goes east from I-4 past Orlando International Airport to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center. The East-West Expressway (also known as Hwy. 408) is a toll road that can be helpful in bypassing surface traffic in the downtown area.
If you're jockeying between Disney and Universal, one of the lesser traffic evils is Apopka-Vineland Road. It tends to be less cluttered than I-4 or International Drive. Follow it north from Lake Buena Vista and the northeast side of Mickeyville to Sand Lake Road, then go right/east to Turkey Lake Road, then left/north to Universal Orlando.
I-4 and Highway 535 roughly bound Walt Disney World to the east (the latter is also a northern boundary) and U.S. 192/Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway bounds it to the south. World Drive is WDW's main north-south artery. Epcot Center Drive (Hwy. 536/the south end of International Dr.) and Buena Vista Drive cut across the complex in a more or less east-west direction; the two roads cross at Bonnet Creek Parkway. Despite a reasonably good highway system and explicit signs, it's easy to get lost or miss a turn here -- we do at least once every trip. Again, pay attention and drive carefully. Don't panic or pull across several lanes of traffic to make an exit, especially once you're on Disney property. All roads lead to the parks, and you'll soon find another sign directing you to the same place. It may take a bit longer, but Goofy will still be there.
Clever landscaping hides the fact that many parts of WDW are very close together. (The way some roads twist and turn, it makes us wonder if Disney didn't make things purposely convoluted so visitors would drive past other attractions to whet their appetites and line Mickey's pockets.)
