International Drive - History

History

The first section of I-Drive was laid out in the 1960s by attorney Finley Hamilton to serve his Hilton Inn South, opened in May 1970. He imagined that once Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, tourists would spot the hotel when traveling to the park along Interstate 4. "They called the hotel 'Finley's Folly' – everyone, all of my friends," Hamilton said. "They said it was in the boondocks. ...But it turned out to be highly successful. ...I came up with International Drive," he recalled, "because it sounded big and important." International Drive was eventually extended to its current north point (where Prime Outlets is now) and southward past the Beachline Expressway.

The International Drive Master Transit and Improvement District was created in 1992 to provide growth management, transportation, and infastructure development for the area with collaboration between the local governments and I-Drive businesses. One of the most critical projects presented to the organization is to create an efficient transportation system for tourists on the I-Drive strip, this prompted the creation of the I-Ride bus trolley system.

I-Drive currently is four lanes, two in each direction, from its north end to Pointe Plaza Dr. (former Universal Blvd. south end; see below), and again between the northern and southern intersections with Westwood Blvd. It is six lanes, three in each direction, from Pointe Plaza Dr. to the Beachline Expressway (the eastbound ramps to the Beachline tie in to the northern intersection with Westwood Blvd.), and again from the southern intersection with Westwood Blvd. to its end at SR 536. The entirety of International Drive South, from SR 535 to US 192, is entirely six lanes. The section of I-Drive from Universal Blvd. to Sand Lake Road has no median or center turn lane, and frequently has heavy traffic and gridlock in the evenings in the tourism corridor, affecting Carrier Dr. and Sand Lake Road.