Lifestyle - May 10, 2018

Narcoossee Road: widening and improvements

The city of Orlando plans for widening and improvements on Narcoossee Road, beginning this Summer.

Though roadway construction can be a burden on commuters, Florida’s 68 million annual visitors or truckers who carry products throughout the region, it’s also a necessary part of Central Florida’s business growth.

Additionally, with communities developing as live/work types of projects — which appeal to young talent throughout the nation — public transit becomes an even bigger priority for cities. Add to that the growth in e-commerce, where companies like Amazon want to get goods faster to customers, and having an efficient transportation system becomes a critical goal.

In June 2009, facing growth pressure from the north and east, the East Narcoossee Community and Osceola County conducted a ground-breaking planning process to collectively put forth their vision for what the community may become in the future. As a result, Osceola County promised to work on a more comprehensive study of the overall area. For, as stated by Commissioner Jim Gray to Nonahood News, as Lake Nona continues to grow the road systems need to expand as well.

The Narcoossee Road project consists of traffic capacity improvements and access management changes for Narcoossee Road from SR 417 to SR 528 in Orange County, Florida. Next summer, the city will widen Narcoossee Road from four to six lanes between the Beachline and Highway 417.

In addition to developing Narcoossee Road’s capacity, the town will redesign some intersections. Lake Nona Boulevard, Moss Park Road, and Dowden Road will better accommodate today’s traffic patterns.

The Commissioner also said that the final engineering is being completed. He will hold several community meetings in early 2018 to share the roadway design and construction schedule. The residents should look for an announcement of meeting dates and locations right after the first of the year. The expansion work will begin next summer and with an expected end date to June 2020.

Also, the city traffic engineers are currently working with Orange County and the Central Florida Expressway authorities to explore options to improve traffic flow in all directions at the Narcoossee Road/417 interchange. During his Nonahood News interview, the Commissioner recognized this as a major access point that often creates traffic congestion and gridlock.

Finally, he stated that all the professionals involved recognize the importance of Narcoossee Road to the local traffic flow. Every effort will be made to keep traffic moving as efficiently as possible during construction. The Commissioner himself pledged to monitor their efforts to make sure that happens.

Lake Nona Golf & Country Club