SANFORD, Fla. — The Central Florida Expressway Authority, or CFX, has officially selected its preferred route for a long-discussed toll road connecting State Road 417 directly to Orlando Sanford International Airport, but the $200 million project faces a steep financial challenge that could delay or derail it entirely.
At a public meeting this week, CFX board members voted to move forward with Alternative 2A, a new elevated two-lane connector that would run south from State Road 417 to the airport, with space to expand to four lanes in the future and greenspace on both sides.
Planners say the route is the shortest, safest, and most environmentally responsible option.
“Alternative 2A shifts the proposed interchange with SR 417 farther south,” CFX staff explained during the presentation, showing renderings of the proposed design.
The connector is intended to ease growing traffic on local roads especially East Lake Mary Boulevard, which officials say could see a 46% drop in traffic once the new road opens. It’s also designed to support future development in the region, including an estimated 10,000 new homes planned along the corridor.
But for some Sanford residents, the plan comes at a deeply personal cost.
Rebecca Burke, a lifelong Sanford resident, learned about the vote just hours before the meeting. Her historic home, originally built in 1865 and moved to its current location 22 years ago, now sits in the path of the proposed route.
“None of my neighbors nor I received a notice of this meeting, and we are directly impacted,” Burke said. “We picked the old girl up and moved her a mile and a half. It’s blood, sweat and tears. It’s not just a piece of property or a piece of land. It’s my home.”
Seminole County Commissioner Lee Zembower acknowledged the emotional toll but stressed the regional urgency.
“If this does not move forward now, it’ll never happen,” Zembower said. “It’ll be total gridlock in this area. This is a great first step.”
However, the biggest obstacle may be money, not maps.
According to CFX’s own Preferred Alternative Viability Study, the project would generate only $48.1 million in toll revenue. That’s about 24% of the estimated $200.4 million cost. That means CFX must secure outside funding from partners like Seminole County, the city of Sanford, state agencies or private developers to make the project financially feasible.
Zembower confirmed that next steps hinge on those funding talks.
“If it’s not funded, it never happens,” he said.
CFX will now move into the next phase of engineering and environmental review. But without a clear financial plan, construction, which officials estimate is still at least 10 years away, remains uncertain.
For now, residents like Burke are left waiting, hoping, and preparing for what may come next.
“I just pray that wisdom will be on the part of those who are overseeing this project,” she said.
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