FL 417 & Boggy Creek Road Interchange Improvements Finally

[roadman65]

http://jenniferthompson.net/sr-417boggy-creek-interchange-construction-begins-monday#.UavEN0rZWSp

Construction has begun on a direct connection between FL 417 and the Orlando International Airport.  Right now motorists between SR 417 and the MCO must use Boggy Creek Road to access the Airport access road.  The interchange was graded already for future expansion 20 years ago, so all the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority has to do is add the road beds and flyover.

I was by there last week and saw pilings for one of the flyovers north of SR 417 over J. Lawson Boulevard started already.  All I can say is its about time!  I do commend that engineers did make provisions at the SR 417 and Boggy Creek Road diamond interchange when originally constructed as it makes work a lot easier to do.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Orlando+International+Airport,+Orlando,+FL&hl=en&ll=28.371653,-81.308312&spn=0.008647,0.021136&sll=27.698638,-83.804601&sspn=8.903392,21.643066&oq=orlando&t=h&hq=Orlando+International+Airport,+Orlando,+FL&z=16

[realjd]

What's the motivation for the construction? I'm in and out of MCO regularly and have never encountered anything approaching bad traffic through there. I'd much rather they put the money toward a 417/Turnpike interchange.

[roadman65]

I really do not know, but being its a OOCEA project I dare not speculate!  I made one particular comment years ago concerning another OOCEA project, and that was the last time I ever made and will not again!

[NE2]

What's the motivation for the construction? I'm in and out of MCO regularly and have never encountered anything approaching bad traffic through there. I'd much rather they put the money toward a 417/Turnpike interchange.

My guess is they expect more traffic due to Lake Nona. But yeah, it seems like gun-jumping for now.

[DeaconG]

This Orlando Sentinel article might provide some answers:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-medical-city-road-20130529,0,1124441.story

They want to extend Lake Nona Blvd to Boggy Creek so they can get more traffic to the Medical City area.

[realjd]

This Orlando Sentinel article might provide some answers:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-medical-city-road-20130529,0,1124441.story

They want to extend Lake Nona Blvd to Boggy Creek so they can get more traffic to the Medical City area.

At least they're being proactive about it and not waiting until traffic is bad before doing the work.

[roadman65]

This Orlando Sentinel article might provide some answers:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-orlando-medical-city-road-20130529,0,1124441.story

They want to extend Lake Nona Blvd to Boggy Creek so they can get more traffic to the Medical City area.

At least they're being proactive about it and not waiting until traffic is bad before doing the work.

Once I have to say, I agree.  We have too many places that wait until after point of impact before something is considered to relieve the problem like the OBT widening that should have been done back in the 1980's, or the Taft- Vineland Road that needed to be widened back in the late 80s and  has not still yet been done as it is still  a clogged two lane roadway with frequent truck traffic holding up traffic to make left turns into the many businesses that line the section from OBT to Orange Avenue.

[DeaconG]

What's the motivation for the construction? I'm in and out of MCO regularly and have never encountered anything approaching bad traffic through there. I'd much rather they put the money toward a 417/Turnpike interchange.

Was poking around through the OOCEA website looking at construction projects and look what popped up:

https://www.oocea.com/TravelersExpressways/Expressways/CurrentExpressways/417EasternBeltway/ConstructionProjects/tabid/356/Article/254/sr-417floridas-turnpike-partial-interchange.aspx

Hey, it's a start, anyway...

[realjd]

What's the motivation for the construction? I'm in and out of MCO regularly and have never encountered anything approaching bad traffic through there. I'd much rather they put the money toward a 417/Turnpike interchange.

Was poking around through the OOCEA website looking at construction projects and look what popped up:

https://www.oocea.com/TravelersExpressways/Expressways/CurrentExpressways/417EasternBeltway/ConstructionProjects/tabid/356/Article/254/sr-417floridas-turnpike-partial-interchange.aspx

Hey, it's a start, anyway...

Interesting that they choose the ramps leading away from Disney.

[NE2]

Those are the two ramps that are most missing wrt other highways. Between the south and Disney, Osceola Parkway works reasonably, and going to/from the north you're more likely to use 528.

[realjd]

Those are the two ramps that are most missing wrt other highways. Between the south and Disney, Osceola Parkway works reasonably, and going to/from the north you're more likely to use 528.

I'm still not seeing it. It seems like the only people using these ramps will be those heading to the SE corner of Orlando.  Like you said, anyone else heading to the east and north sides is more likely use the 528. I guess it improves access to the airport and to Lake Nona, but it still makes more sense to get tourist traffic off of Osceola Parkway IMO. That bit of Osceola Parkway right around JYP in particular sucks.

Maybe they really are expecting that much traffic to/from Lake Nona.

[NE2]

I'm still not seeing it. It seems like the only people using these ramps will be those heading to the SE corner of Orlando.

Fort Pierce to Sanford is only 7 miles longer using the Turnpike to 417 than using 95 to 528. So it's a reasonable alternate to I-95 for going to the north and east parts of the Orlando area.

(When I said 528 I was thinking of to/from the north on the Turnpike.)