Florida State Road 417

State Road 417
Southern Connector Central Florida GreeneWay Seminole Expressway
Route information
Maintained by Central Florida Expressway Authority and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise
Length:	54.061 mi[1] (87.003 km)
Existed:	December 1988[2] – present
Major junctions
South end:	I-4 in Celebration
	SR 528 in Orlando SR 408 near Union Park
North end:	I-4 in Sanford
Location
Counties:	Osceola, Orange, Seminole
Highway system
Florida State Highway System Interstate US SR Former Pre-1945 Toll ← SR 416 SR 419 →

State Road 417 (SR 417), also known as the Central Florida GreeneWay, Southern Connector and Seminole Expressway (depending on the location), is a tolled limited-access state highway forming the eastern beltway around the city of Orlando, Florida, United States. It is owned and maintained by the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The CFX section was posthumously named after former Orlando and Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA, the predecessor organization to CFX) chairman Jim Greene.

SR 417 was originally planned to be a full beltway around Orlando. Eventually, the beltway was divided, with the west side being designated SR 429, and the east side retaining the SR 417 designation.

Route description

The Southern Connector as well as the beltway begins at an interchange with Interstate 4 in Celebration. This section, run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is 6.4-mile-long (10.3 km), extending to the International Drive interchange.^[3]

Between the International Drive interchange and the Orange-Seminole County line, the tollway is known as the Central Florida GreeneWay, and is operated by CFX.

The Seminole Expressway section of the tollway begins at the county line. This section, also run by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is 17-mile-long (27 km), extends to an interchange with I-4 in Sanford at the end of the beltway.^[4]

Tolls

There are six Mainline Toll Plazas on the tollway and have at least one express lane dedicated to E-Pass/SunPass for Electronic Toll Collection, which do not require motorists to stop at a booth, as well as lanes dedicated to cash collection. The Celebration Toll Plaza has one ETC lane, and all of the others have at least two ETC lanes. The Ramp Toll Plazas have a lane dedicated to ETC and exact change only, with no change provided.

While both E-Pass and SunPass are accepted at all interchanges along the toll road, portions maintained by CFX are signed as E-Pass and portions maintained by FTE are signed as SunPass.

The current toll rates took effect in July 2012.^[5]

History

Phase I: The Eastern Beltway

Northbound at the University Mainline Toll Plaza, recently rebuilt with high-speed (express) lanes.

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 commuters to bypass the crowded Semoran Boulevard, 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 at a cost of $105 million, with $35 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way for the 6-mile (9.7 km) route.

Phase II: The Southeastern Beltway

Greenway shield, formerly used in Orange County

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 River marshes that cover some of eastern Orange and northern Osceola.

The OOCEA began construction of the Southeastern Beltway, from Colonial Drive to the Beachline Expressway in January 1989, and opened ahead of schedule in July 1990. The 7.6-mile (12.2 km) route cost $72 million, with an estimated $13 million being spent on acquiring the right-of-way.

Phase III: The Southern Connector

The "Southern Connector" was to become a route extending from SR 528 all the way to SR 535. The OOCEA began construction of the 22-mile (35 km) road in November 1991 and completed construction July 1, 1993, at a cost of $273 million. It was during the construction of this section that the entire beltway project was renamed the Central Florida GreeneWay. In 2015, a limited interchange was completed with SR 417 and Florida's Turnpike currently only being able to merge onto the southbound portion of the Turnpike with the northbound interchange being planned for completion in 2016

Phase IV: The Seminole Expressway

The original logo for the Seminole County 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 (10 km) 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).

Phase V: Southern Connector Extension

Due to the multiple entities involved, which included OOCEA, Walt Disney World, Osceola County, private landowners, the Reedy Creek Improvement District, and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, building the southernmost 6.4-mile (10.3 km) between I-4 and the GreeneWay became a complex task. Eventually, they agreed on the Southern Connector Extension, as well as the 12.4-mile (20.0 km) Osceola Parkway.

Florida's Turnpike began construction of the 6.4-mile (10.3 km) extension from the GreeneWay to I-4 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, making it possible to get from Walt Disney World to the Orlando International Airport without ever driving on Interstate 4.

Later changes

In 2008, the Turnpike Enterprise began a $49 million project to reconstruct the Lake Jesup toll plaza, allowing for the inclusion of SunPass/E-PASS express lanes. The project was completed in April 2011.^[6]

On December 14, 2011, the northern terminus of SR 417 was extended from Interstate 4 to International Parkway. The $11.4 million project began construction on November 29, 2010.^[7]

The Turnpike Enterprise and OOCEA (now CFX) agreed to build a partial interchange between SR 417 and Florida's Turnpike in the late 2000s, after negotiations dating back to a 1991 field study.^[8][9] The interchange is being built in two phases. The first phase, built by CFX, added ramps from southbound SR 417 to southbound Florida’s Turnpike and from northbound Florida’s Turnpike to northbound SR 417. Construction on the first phase began in September 2013 and opened on January 26, 2015. The second phase, completing the interchange, will be built by the Turnpike Enterprise with construction beginning in late 2014 and expected to be completed in 2017, several years ahead of its original completion date.^[10][11]

In January 2015, the speed limit along mostly rural parts of the highway was raised to 70 mph from the previous 65 mph speed limit. The increase followed a study that found 85% of drivers on the highway already drove between 70-80 mph.^[12]

Future

A rebuild of the interchange with SR 408 is partially complete. The first phase, completed in 2013, widened SR 408 from six to eight lanes through the interchange added ramps from westbound SR 408 to northbound SR 417 and southbound SR 417 to westbound SR 408, which were previously located about a mile to the west of the rest of the interchange.^[13] The second phase will rebuild the remaining ramps.^[14]

The OOCEA 2030 Master Plan suggests widening the entire expressway to six lanes from International Drive to the Seminole County line.^[15] Florida's Turnpike Enterprise has completed a project development & environment study (PD&E) to evaluate the widening of the Seminole Expressway, the portion of SR 417 north of University Boulevard. Construction between University Boulevard and SR 434 is currently not scheduled to begin until 2020.^[16]

In 2019 construction is anticipated to start on a new interchange between SR 429 (Wekiva Parkway), SR 417, and Interstate 4. This will complete the beltway around Orlando.^[17]

Exit list

County	Location	mi[1]	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Osceola	Celebration	0.000	0.000	--	I-4 west (SR 400) – Tampa	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; Exit 62 on I-4, shared with World Drive
		0.3[18]	0.5	Celebration Toll Plaza ($0.78 SunPass, $1.00 cash)
		1.012	1.629	2	To US 192 (SR 530) / Celebration Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.25 SunPass, $0.50 cash)
		2.311	3.719	3	Osceola Parkway (CR 522)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.25 SunPass, $0.50 cash)
Orange		5.098	8.204	6	To SR 536 / SR 535 / I-4 east / International Drive	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; FTE authority ends, CFX authority begins
		6.2[18]	10.0	John Young Mainline Toll Plaza ($1.37 E-Pass, $1.50 cash)
	Hunter's Creek	8.659	13.935	10	CR 423 (John Young Parkway)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.82 E-Pass, $1.00 cash)
		10.032	16.145	11	US 17 / US 92 / US 441 (Orange Blossom Trail / SR 500 / SR 600)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
		11.02[19]	17.73	12	Turnpike south (SR 91) – Miami	Southbound exit to southbound Turnpike and northbound entrance from northbound Turnpike (other ramps under construction)[20][21][22]
	Meadow Woods	12.377	19.919	14	Landstar Boulevard	Northbound exit and southbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.50 E-Pass / cash)
		14.3[18]	23.0	Boggy Creek Mainline Toll Plaza ($1.37 E-Pass, $1.50 cash)
	Orlando	?		17A	/ South Access Rd. – International Airport	Expected completion: late 2015.
		15.903	25.593	17	Boggy Creek Road (CR 527A) – International Airport	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($1.09 E-Pass, $1.25 cash). Future Exit 17B.
		17.996	28.962	19	Lake Nona Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.82 E-Pass, $1.00 cash)
		20.550	33.072	22	CR 15 (Narcoosee Road)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.82 E-Pass, $1.00 cash)
		22.017	35.433	23	Moss Park Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
		22.939	36.917	24	Innovation Way / Dowden Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
		24.571	39.543	26	SR 528 – International Airport, Cocoa
		26.482	42.619	27	Lee Vista Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.25 E-Pass, $0.50 cash)
		27.2[18]	43.8	Curry Ford Mainline Toll Plaza ($0.82 E-Pass, $1.00 cash)
		28.785	46.325	30	Curry Ford Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
		31.525	50.735	33	SR 408 – Orlando, Titusville	Signed as exits 33A (east) and 33B (west)
		33.217	53.458	34	SR 50 (Colonial Drive)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
		34.7[18]	55.8	University Mainline Toll Plaza ($0.82 E-Pass, $1.00 cash)
		35.486	57.109	37	University Boulevard	signed as exits 37A (east) and 37B (west) northbound; serves University of Central Florida; southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.55 E-Pass, $0.75 cash)
Seminole		37.109	59.721	38	SR 426 (Aloma Avenue)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.26 SunPass, $0.50 cash)
	Oviedo	40.308	64.869	41	Red Bug Lake Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.51 SunPass, $0.75 cash)
	Winter Springs	42.716	68.745	44	SR 434 (SR 419)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.77 SunPass, $1.00 cash)
		43.518– 45.022[19]	70.035– 72.456	Bridge over Lake Jesup
		46.7[18]	75.2	Lake Jesup Toll Plaza ($2.07 SunPass, $2.25 cash)
	Sanford	48.211	77.588	49	CR 427 / Lake Mary Boulevard – Orlando Sanford International Airport	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.51 SunPass, $0.75 cash)
		49.258	79.273	50	US 17 / US 92 (SR 15 / SR 600) – Sanford	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.51 SunPass, $0.75 cash)
		51.101	82.239	52	CR 46A – Sanford, Lake Mary	Southbound exit and northbound entrance ramp tolls ($0.26 SunPass, $0.50 cash)
		53.627	86.304	54	Rinehart Road (CR 431B)
		54.061	87.003	55	I-4 (SR 400) – Downtown Orlando, Daytona Beach	northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 55A (east) and 55B (west); I-4 exit 101B
		54.061	87.003	55C	Heathrow (International Parkway)	continuation beyond I-4
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access       Unopened

References

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• Toll 417 – The Seminole Expressway/Central Florida Greenway/Southern Connector Extension
• Florida @ SouthEastRoads - Florida 417