Crane operators have set the last tub girder segment at the I-4 and State Road 408 interchange in downtown Orlando, marking a critical moment of progress for the busiest junction in the 21-mile project, the joint venture team of SGL Constructors (Skanska- Granite – Lane)  I-4 Ultimate reports.

Tub girders are large U-shaped beams used for support under elevated roadways. While work continues on the complex interchange, all flyover ramps are now in place, providing connectivity, without the weaving in-and-out of merging traffic to reach an exit or merge ramp.

Within the interchange, crews set in place a total of 5.73 miles of tub girders, some hoisted as high as 120 feet above the ground. This required 52.3 miles of driven pile, 44,600 cubic yards of concrete and 10.5 million pounds of rebar and 36.6 pounds of structural steel.

SGL continues to open newly placed roadways, and bridges throughout the project, including the all-new Grand National Drive overpass and is targeting this summer to open elevated bridges through downtown Orlando.

Concrete decks are in the process of being placed on the tubs, which will be followed by barrier walls; grooving and grinding; painting, striping, and finally signage. Some of these processes will be done simultaneously and likely overlap.

“Central Florida residents are seeing the results of all the hard work behind the scenes and on the ground,” John Tyler, the Florida Department of Transportation district engineer for the east-Central Florida region, said in a statement. “The design, engineering, and construction coordination that have turned concepts into reality.”