Orlando Locks In $1.1M Inspection Contract to Keep The Canopy Under I-4 Moving Toward 2027

Orlando's plan to turn a dead stretch of pavement under Interstate 4 into a public gathering space cleared another hurdle Monday, when the City Commission approved a $1.1 million contract to hire a firm to inspect construction on The Canopy. The vote keeps the long-delayed downtown project on track for a 2027 opening, and it comes as business owners along Church Street say they're running out of patience.

The Canopy will fill the stretch beneath the elevated I-4 bridge beams between West Church Street and West Washington Street. The plan calls for a festival street and gathering space, a projection wall, artistic trees and sculptural elements, enhanced lighting, public restrooms, a bike path, streetscape work, a rideshare zone and parking. The construction cost is capped at $30 million, with The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company already under contract as builder.

Why a new contract was needed

Monday's vote wasn't about the construction itself. It was about who checks the builder's work. Because part of the project sits inside Florida Department of Transportation right-of-way, state rules require an independent firm to monitor and inspect the work as it happens, a role known as construction, engineering and inspection, or CEI.

The city opened that competition in late June, and two firms made the shortlist: Mehta and Associates, Inc. and Mead & Hunt, Inc. A five-member advisory committee of city Public Works and Economic Development staff heard presentations and scored both firms on Aug. 19. Mehta and Associates came out ahead, and the city issued its notice of intended action on Aug. 21. Monday's commission vote finalizes a contract not to exceed $1.1 million, drawn from the project's existing budget, with the city's Chief Procurement Officer authorized to sign once the City Attorney's Office signs off.

A decade-plus in the making

The Canopy traces back more than ten years. City leaders first floated reimagining the space under I-4 around 2014 under the name "Bridge District." The concept later became the "Under-I Project" before the city landed on The Canopy and released updated renderings in 2024.

Church Street businesses are watching the clock

Yehya Rizeq, who owns Crepe Delicious on Church Street, has been waiting years for this project to break ground. He's already banking on it. Rizeq expects The Canopy to double his current foot traffic, and he signed a five-year lease built around that bet.

But the lease has an escape hatch. Rizeq said that if The Canopy isn't finished within two years, he'll cancel it. Running a restaurant on the promise of a project that keeps sliding, he said, isn't sustainable forever. He's asked the city for regular progress updates and for financial support to Church Street businesses if construction hits more delays.

Other people who spend time downtown are hoping for something more family-friendly out of the space, not just another entertainment strip aimed at nightlife.

The Canopy is one piece of a larger push to remake downtown Orlando, alongside separate festival-street work already underway on Church Street itself between Garland Avenue and the railroad tracks. The city has not announced a firm groundbreaking date for The Canopy's main construction, but with the CEI contract now signed, the next milestone to watch is when Whiting-Turner crews actually move equipment onto the site beneath the highway.

Want more on how downtown Orlando is changing? Visit Orlando Community Website for ongoing coverage, and join the conversation about The Canopy and what it should look like in our Community Forum. For related coverage, check out our business development stories and city government and politics coverage.