ORLANDO, Fla. — Traffic on Narcoossee Road has reached a breaking point. From chaotic to downright abysmal, drivers say the once-manageable commute has turned into an all-day struggle.
“Has it gotten worse?” Channel 9 asked. “Absolutely, no questions,” one driver said.
The frustration is backed by data. Mighk Wilson with Metro Plan Orlando reviewed recent traffic counts and found congestion is skyrocketing.
“In 2022, about 38,000 cars drove through Narcoossee in Orange County per day,” Wilson said. “By 2024, that number jumped to 58,500.”
The problem extends south into Osceola County, where Narcoossee traffic increased 49% from US-192 to the county line.
Metro Plan Orlando has tried to ease the jam. Crews retimed traffic signals in an effort to improve efficiency. It trimmed roughly 30 seconds off the evening rush hour. But in the morning, it added 15 seconds to the commute through Orange County.
However, the Central Florida Expressway Authority believes it has an answer with State Road 534. It’s a 14-mile toll road with two lanes in each direction, running from State Road 417 near Boggy Creek in Orange County to Nova Road in Osceola County.
Construction will happen in three phases. Phase one includes a five-mile stretch connecting State Road 417 to Narcoossee Road, featuring:
- A full interchange at SR 417
- A half interchange at Laureate Boulevard
- A one-mile extension of Simpson Road
- A half interchange at Narcoossee Road
Construction on State Road 534 is expected to begin mid-2027.
The second phase runs east of Narcoossee through the bottom left corner of split oak Forrest to Cyrils drive.
Phase three takes it south from there to connect to Nova Road.
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