| County Road 522 | ||||
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| Osceola Parkway | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Length: | 12.4 mi (20.0 km) | |||
| Existed: | June 16, 1987 (original road) August 18, 1995 (parkway) – present |
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| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: | Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge in Lake Buena Vista | |||
| I-4 / SR 400 near Disney World SR 417 near Disney World US 17 / US 92 / US 441 in Kissimmee Turnpike / SR 91 near Kissimmee |
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| East end: | Boggy Creek Road near Buena Ventura Lakes | |||
| Location | ||||
| Counties: | Orange, Osceola | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Florida State and County Roads
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The Osceola Parkway, signed as County Road 522 since around 2003 (and originally planned as State Road 424), is a 12.4-mile (20.0 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.
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The road starts at the Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge 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.[1]
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.
The road originally opened as Dart Boulevard on June 16, 1987 as a two mile stretch between U.S. Highway 441 and Buenaventura Boulevard.[2] During the early 1990s, Disney World and Orlando area officials extended and upgraded the road to its current 12.4 miles (20.0 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.[3][4][5]
The interchange expansion project between I-4 and US 192 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.[6]
| County | Location | Mile | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | Lake Buena Vista | Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge | Western terminus | |
| World Drive | ||||
| Osceola | I-4 / SR 400 | |||
| SR 417 (Southern Connector) | ||||
| West end of Toll Road | ||||
| Kissimmee | Poinciana Blvd. | To SR 535 (Kissimmee-Vineland Road) | ||
| Shingle Creek Toll Plaza ($1.75) | ||||
| East end of Toll Road | ||||
| SR 423 (John Young Parkway) | ||||
| US 17 / US 92 / US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail) | ||||
| Turnpike / SR 91 – Orlando, Miami | ||||
| Buena Ventura Lakes | Boggy Creek Road | Eastern terminus | ||
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