Florida State Road 417
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| State Road 417 |
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| Length: | 54.06 mi[1] (87.00 km) | ||||||||
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| Formed: | December 1987[2] | ||||||||
| South end: |  I-4 near Celebration |
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| Major junctions: |
 SR 528 near Orlando International Airport SR 408 near Union Park |
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| North end: | I-4 in Sanford |
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State Road 417 (SR 417), also known as the Central Florida GreeneWay, Southern Connector and Seminole Expressway (depending on the location), is a tolled freeway forming the eastern beltway around the city of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is owned and maintained by the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The OOCEA section was posthumously named after former OOCEA chairman Jim Greene.
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[edit] History
[edit] Phase I: The Eastern Beltway
The first phase of SR 417, then termed the Eastern Beltway, extended from the current east end of the East-West Expressway northward to SR 426 (Aloma Avenue) in Seminole County. It allowed drivers to bypass the crowded Semoran Boulevard to get to and from their homes, as well as give expressway access to the University of Central Florida.
The OOCEA began construction of phase I in July 1987 and the road was opened to the public on December 16, 1988. The total cost of Phase I was $105 million, with $35 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way for the six mile route.
[edit] Phase II: The Southeastern Beltway
Phase II, the "Southeastern Beltway", was considered one of the most important parts of the Eastern Beltway because motorists could use this portion to travel from downtown Orlando to the Orlando International Airport without ever getting off the expressway system. This portion of the GreeneWay had passed through some of the most barren portions of Orange County. It skirts the Econlockhatchee marshes that cover some of eastern Orange and northern Osceola.
The OOCEA began construction of the Southeastern Beltway, from Colonial Drive to the SR 528 in January 1989. The road opened ahead of schedule in July 1990. The 7.6 mile route cost $72 million, with an estimated $13 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way.
[edit] Phase III: The Southern Connector
The "Southern Connector" was to become a route extending from SR 528 all the way to SR 535. OOCEA began construction of the 22-mile road in November 1991 and completed construction July 1, 1993. The cost of the route totaled $273 million. It was during the construction of this section that the entire beltway project was renamed the Central Florida GreeneWay. This section does not have an interchange with Florida's Turnpike, so motorists heading north can not use SR 417 as a beltway around Orlando, although there are future plans to construct such an interchange.
[edit] Phase IV: The Seminole Expressway
The Seminole Expressway, the northern leg of SR 417, is located in Seminole County and is owned and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The section south of Aloma Avenue to the county line (less than one mile) was acquired from the Seminole County Expressway Authority in April 1990 as part of Florida's Turnpike Expansion Program authorized by Senate Bill 1316.
The initial stretch, from just south of Aloma to US 17/92 opened in phases in 1994. The final six miles connect to Interstate 4 near Sanford/Lake Mary, and opened to traffic on September 15, 2002, approximately seven months ahead of the final schedule. This leg features only one mainline toll plaza (just south of CR 427), but it is also the priciest toll plaza on SR 417 at $2 per vehicle. This section also features the only "free movement" on SR 417. No toll is collected for motorists traveling between I-4 and Rinehart Road (whose interchange with SR 417 is used for travelers on SR 46 and CR 46A to get to and from SR 417).
[edit] Phase V: Southern Connector Extension
The 6.4-mile missing link between I-4 and the GreeneWay was a complicated route to finish. The complexity stemmed from the sheer number of governmental and corporate entities that were involved: OOCEA, Walt Disney World, Osceola County, private landowners, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The agreement that was reached included a 12.4-mile Osceola Parkway, as well as the 6.4-mile Southern Connector Extension.
Florida's Turnpike began construction of the 6.4-mile extension in 1994 and completed construction in mid 1996. The project cost almost $153 million, with $74 million coming from contributions from the private parties involved in building this route. It is now possible to get from Walt Disney World to the Orlando International Airport without ever driving on Interstate 4.
[edit] Future construction
The Turnpike Enterprise recently completed a project development & environment study (PD&E) to evaluate the widening of the Seminole Expressway.
In 2008, the Turnpike begins a $49 million project to reconstruct the Lake Jesup toll plaza. Currently, widening of SR 417 between University Boulevard and SR 434 is scheduled to begin in 2011.
After decades of negotiations on partial interchanges, the Turnpike Enterprise and OOCEA finally agreed to build a full interchange between the GreeneWay and Florida's Turnpike in 2018. [3]
[edit] Exit list
| County | Location | Number | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Osceola | 0 | I-4 – Tampa, Orlando |
Southbound exit to I-4 and northbound entrance to SR 417 only | |
| Mainline toll plaza ($0.75 cars/$0.50 Sunpass) | ||||
| 2 |  US 192 / Celebration Avenue |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 3 | Osceola Parkway | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| Orange | 6 |   SR 536 / SR 535 / International Drive |
Southbound exit and northbound entrance only | |
| Mainline toll plaza ($1.00 cars) | ||||
| 10 |  CR 423 (John Young Parkway) |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 11 |    US 17 / US 92 / US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail) |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 14 | Landstar Boulevard | Ramp toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| Mainline toll plaza ($1.00 cars) | ||||
| Orlando | 17 | Boggy Creek Road – Orlando International Airport | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
| 19 | Lake Nona Boulevard | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 22 | Image:Orange County Road 15 FL.svg CR 15 (Narcoosee Road) | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 26 |  SR 528 (Beachline Expressway) – Cocoa, Orlando International Airport |
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| 27 | Lee Vista Boulevard | Ramp toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| Mainline toll plaza ($0.50 cars) | ||||
| 30 | Curry Ford Road | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 33A-B |  SR 408 (East-West Expressway) – Orlando, Titusville |
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| 34 |  SR 50 (Colonial Drive) |
Ramp toll on southbound entrance and northbound exit | ||
| Mainline toll plaza ($0.50 cars) | ||||
| 37A-B | University Boulevard – University of Central Florida | Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| Seminole | 38 |  SR 426 (Aloma Avenue) |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
| Oviedo | 41 | Red Bug Lake Road – Oviedo, Oviedo Marketplace, Seminole Community College | Ramp toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| Winter Springs | 44 |   SR 419 / SR 434 – Winter Springs |
Ramp toll on northbound exit and southbound entrance | |
| Mainline toll plaza ($2.00 cars/$1.50 Sunpass) | ||||
| Sanford | 49 |  CR 427 – Lake Mary, Orlando Sanford International Airport |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | |
| 50 | US 17 / US 92 – Sanford, Amtrak Auto Train Terminal |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 52 |  CR 46A – Sanford, Lake Mary |
Ramp toll on southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||
| 54 |  SR 46 / Rinehart Road – Heathrow, Seminole Towne Center |
No toll to/from Interstate 4 | ||
| 55A-B | I-4 – Downtown Orlando, Daytona Beach |
Northbound exit to I-4 and southbound entrance to SR 417 only | ||
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority
- Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
- Florida Department of Transportation
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