Osceola Parkway
Encyclopedia
The Osceola Parkway, signed as County Road 522 since around 2003 (and originally planned as State Road 424), is a 12.4 miles (20 km) long, partially-tolled
arterial road extending east-west across the northern boundary of Osceola County, Florida
, USA
roughly paralleling the border with Orange County
. It connects the Walt Disney World Resort
with Interstate 4
, Florida's Turnpike
before terminating at Boggy Creek Road near Buena Ventura Lakes, and is maintained by Osceola County. Only the section between the Southern Connector and a toll plaza east of Shingle Creek is tolled; the rest includes mainly at-grade intersections. A portion of the Osceola Parkway was once called Dart Boulevard.
in Lake Buena Vista
, heading east, passing through several sections of the Disney World Complex before intersecting with World Drive and crossing into Osceola County
. The parkway exits the Walt Disney World Resort
, just before an interchange with Interstate 4
. Although Osceola Parkway was built across Interstate 4
into the Walt Disney World Resort
, an interchange with that freeway (Exit 65) did not open until 2001. The ramps with the exit to nearby State Road 536
are interspersed such that traffic going on to I-4 from SR 536 cannot directly exit onto Osceola Parkway, and vice versa. The road then has an interchange with the Southern Connector, where the Parkway becomes a limited access toll road (although not a full expressway
). The parkway passes through residential areas, passing through an interchange with Poinciana Blvd., featuring ramp tolls of $0.75 for eastbound exiting traffic and westbound entering traffic. East of the interchange, Osceola Parkway crosses the one mainline toll plaza just east of Shingle Creek, with a $1.75 toll as of April 2009.
East of the toll plaza, the tolled section of the parkway ends as it becomes a surface street, as it continues to pass through residential and shopping areas with at grade intersections, most notably with John Young Parkway and U.S. Route 441 (Orange Blossom Trail) as the road heads towards Florida's Turnpike. East of the Turnpike, the road continues as a four lane street through another residential development until its terminus at Boggy Creek Road, near Buena Ventura Lakes.
The Parkway originally used an electronic toll collection
system known as O-PASS, however the county elected to discontinue its own toll collection program and instead contracted with the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority
(OOCEA)to provide that service, so the O-PASS system was merged with the E-PASS system. The Osceola Parkway also accepts SunPass
accounts which are run by the Florida Department of Transportation and are accepted on most toll roads throughout the State of Florida
.
will disallow traffic from Osceola Parkway to get onto either US 192 or SR 536 via Interstate 4. Traffic seeking to get to either road from Osceola Parkway should use World Drive, International Drive
south or State Road 535
. In addition, Buena Vista Drive can be used to access SR 536, while Seralago Blvd. can be used to access US 192.
A new grade-separate interchange
is being constructed at John Young Parkway
, with John Young Parkway having free movement at the interchange, unlike other grade separate interchanges along Osceola Parkway. The parkway will have traffic lights at the single-point urban interchange
.
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
arterial road extending east-west across the northern boundary of Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
roughly paralleling the border with Orange County
Orange County, Florida
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956....
. It connects the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
with Interstate 4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
, Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike
Florida's Turnpike , designated as the Ronald Reagan Turnpike, and originally known as the Sunshine State Parkway is a north–south toll road that runs through 11 counties in the Florida peninsula, from U.S...
before terminating at Boggy Creek Road near Buena Ventura Lakes, and is maintained by Osceola County. Only the section between the Southern Connector and a toll plaza east of Shingle Creek is tolled; the rest includes mainly at-grade intersections. A portion of the Osceola Parkway was once called Dart Boulevard.
Route description
The road starts at the Disney's Animal Kingdom LodgeDisney's Animal Kingdom Lodge
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an African-themed deluxe resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on April 16, 2001. The resort is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts....
in Lake Buena Vista
Lake Buena Vista, Florida
Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake....
, heading east, passing through several sections of the Disney World Complex before intersecting with World Drive and crossing into Osceola County
Osceola County, Florida
Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was...
. The parkway exits the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
, just before an interchange with Interstate 4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
. Although Osceola Parkway was built across Interstate 4
Interstate 4
Interstate 4 is a intrastate Highway located entirely within the state of Florida, United States. It goes from Interstate 275 in Tampa, Florida to Interstate 95 at Daytona Beach, Florida . It also has the Florida Department of Transportation designation of State Road 400, but only a small...
into the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
, an interchange with that freeway (Exit 65) did not open until 2001. The ramps with the exit to nearby State Road 536
State Road 536 (Florida)
SR 536, named World Center Drive for most of its length, is an east-west road that extends from Interstate 4 near the Epcot theme park to The Central Florida GreeneWay.-Route description:...
are interspersed such that traffic going on to I-4 from SR 536 cannot directly exit onto Osceola Parkway, and vice versa. The road then has an interchange with the Southern Connector, where the Parkway becomes a limited access toll road (although not a full expressway
Controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a highway designed exclusively for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow and ingress/egress regulated...
). The parkway passes through residential areas, passing through an interchange with Poinciana Blvd., featuring ramp tolls of $0.75 for eastbound exiting traffic and westbound entering traffic. East of the interchange, Osceola Parkway crosses the one mainline toll plaza just east of Shingle Creek, with a $1.75 toll as of April 2009.
The Parkway originally used an electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection
Electronic toll collection , an adaptation of military "identification friend or foe" technology, aims to eliminate the delay on toll roads by collecting tolls electronically. It is thus a technological implementation of a road pricing concept...
system known as O-PASS, however the county elected to discontinue its own toll collection program and instead contracted with the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority
Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority is an expressway authority responsible for construction, maintenance and operation of toll roads in Orange County, Florida, United States, which includes the city of Orlando. It was founded in 1963 for the purpose of building the Bee Line Expressway,...
(OOCEA)to provide that service, so the O-PASS system was merged with the E-PASS system. The Osceola Parkway also accepts SunPass
SunPass
SunPass is an electronic toll collection system in use by the State of Florida and was originally created by the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida's Turnpike...
accounts which are run by the Florida Department of Transportation and are accepted on most toll roads throughout the State of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
.
History
The road originally opened as Dart Boulevard on June 16, 1987 as a two mile stretch between U.S. Highway 441 and Buenaventura Boulevard. During the early 1990s, Disney World and Orlando area officials extended and upgraded the road to its current 12.4 miles (20 km) parkway form, widened the lanes from two to four and added an interchange with Florida's Turnpike, with the highway opening on August 18, 1995.Future
The interchange expansion project between I-4 and US 192U.S. Route 192
U.S. Route 192 is an east–west route of the United States Numbered Highway system in central Florida. It runs 75.04 miles from U.S. Route 27 in Citrus Ridge, Lake County, east past Walt Disney World and through Kissimmee, St. Cloud and Melbourne, to end at State Road A1A in Indialantic, one...
will disallow traffic from Osceola Parkway to get onto either US 192 or SR 536 via Interstate 4. Traffic seeking to get to either road from Osceola Parkway should use World Drive, International Drive
International Drive
International Drive is the main tourist strip of Orlando, Florida, located several miles southwest of proper Downtown Orlando in the southernmost limits of the city...
south or State Road 535
Florida State Road 535
Florida State Road 535, also known as Kissimmee-Vineland Road, is a state road in the U.S. state of Florida. The road begins at U.S. Highway 192 in Kissimmee, Florida, heading north, ending in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, formerly Vineland, Florida...
. In addition, Buena Vista Drive can be used to access SR 536, while Seralago Blvd. can be used to access US 192.
A new grade-separate interchange
Interchange (road)
In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...
is being constructed at John Young Parkway
John Young Parkway
State Road 423, known for most of its length as John Young Parkway, and Lee Road east of Orange Blossom Trail, is a four- and six-lane surface road in the U.S. state of Florida. SR 423 is completely inside Orlando, Florida and runs from SR 408 north to U.S...
, with John Young Parkway having free movement at the interchange, unlike other grade separate interchanges along Osceola Parkway. The parkway will have traffic lights at the single-point urban interchange
Single-point urban interchange
A single-point urban interchange , also called a single-point interchange or single-point diamond interchange , is a type of highway interchange...
.
Junction list
| County | Location | Mile | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange Orange County, Florida Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida and is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 1,145,956.... |
Lake Buena Vista Lake Buena Vista, Florida Lake Buena Vista is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. It is mostly known for being home to the Walt Disney World Resort. It is one of two Florida municipalities controlled by The Walt Disney Company, the other being Bay Lake.... |
Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge is an African-themed deluxe resort at the Walt Disney World Resort. It opened on April 16, 2001. The resort is owned and operated by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.... |
Western terminus | |
| World Drive | ||||
| Osceola Osceola County, Florida Osceola County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 172,493. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 244,045, making it the 17th fastest-growing county in the United States. Its county seat is Kissimmee.- History :Osceola County was... |
||||
| West end of Toll Road | ||||
| Kissimmee Kissimmee, Florida Kissimmee is a city in Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,682. It is the county seat of Osceola County... |
Poinciana Blvd. | To | ||
| Shingle Creek Toll Plaza ($1.75) | ||||
| East end of Toll Road | ||||
| Buena Ventura Lakes | Boggy Creek Road | Eastern terminus | ||