Poinciana Pkwy. Ext. PD&E Alternatives Public Meeting Exhibit Room

A PD&E Study determines if there is an engineering and environmentally feasible alternative to meet the future needs determined in the planning phase. It involves the preparation of preliminary engineering and environmental documentation.

Key components of the PD&E process include an evaluation of existing conditions, identification of future traffic needs, development of alternatives, and an evaluation of the alternatives based on environmental and engineering factors. An important component of the PD&E process is public and agency involvement. All findings and recommendations are documented at the end of the study. If a build alternative is selected, then the project moves forward into the design phase. For more information on the PD&E Study process visit the project website, scroll down to the Documents section, and under videos you will find the PD&E process video.

The study limits extend from south of County Road 532 to north of the I-4 / State Road 429 interchange and includes the portion of I-4 between Exit 58 and Exit 62. The project is located within Polk and Osceola Counties.

Project needs arise from issues and concerns that may frequently slow down traffic, cause delays, or lead to accidents. The need to extend Poinciana Parkway is based on enhancing safety, improving system linkage, accommodating travel demand, improving travel times and reliability, planning consistency, economic and employment viability, and emergency response effectiveness.

Improvements to Poinciana Parkway Extension are needed to enhance safety. Between 2014 and 2018, there were 1147 crashes along I-4 and 42 crashes along State Road 429 within the study limits. The estimated economic crash cost is about $171 million dollars for I-4 and $14 million for State Road 429 over the 5 years. Six fatal crashes were reported along the I-4 corridor. One fatal crash was reported along State Road 429 within study limits.

Between 2014 and 2018, there were 128 crashes along US 17/92 and 478 crashes along County Road 532 within the study limits. The estimated economic crash cost is about $25 million dollars for US 17/92 and $64 million for County Road 532 over the 5 years. There was one fatal crash that has occurred along US 17/92. Two fatal crashes were reported within study limits of County Road 532. Congestion is a major contributing factor to crashes. If nothing is done, congestion will continue to rise leading to an increase in crashes.

The extension of Poinciana Parkway is a crucial project that will complete the missing link of a series of existing and planned roadways connecting I-4 to Florida’s Turnpike and SR 417.

The extension of Poinciana Parkway is needed to accommodate traffic demands and improve travel time reliability by creating a more direct connection between Poinciana Parkway, I-4, and State Road 429. Travelers from the south will no longer have to take County Road 532 and I-4 to get to State Road 429, relieving this section of I-4. The proposed improvements are expected to cut travel distances in half and reduce travel times substantially during peak periods.

• Alt-1 Poinciana_Aerial_Board – North
• Alt-1 Poinciana_Aerial_Board – Middle
• Alt-1 Poinciana_Aerial_Board – South

Alternative 1 bifurcates, or splits, the northbound and southbound Poinciana Parkway lanes around the Florida Gas Transmission (FGT)/Gulfstream gas facilities.

Please note the Concept Alternative files are large and they may take a minute to open. Zoom in to see the area of interest.

• Alt-2 Poinciana Aerial_Board – North
• Alt-2 Poinciana Aerial Board – Middle
• Alt-2 Poinciana Aerial Board – South

Alternative 2 keeps the northbound and southbound Poinciana Parkway lanes together as they pass south of the Florida Gas Transmission (FGT)/Gulfstream gas facilities.

Please note the Concept Alternative files are large and they may take a minute to open. Zoom in to see the area of interest.

With the proposed I-4 Express Lanes and Poinciana Parkway Extension, overall intersection operational results indicated a 38 percent reduction in total signalized intersection control delay within the area of influence during the 2050 design year morning hours when compared to No-Build condition.

With the proposed I-4 Express Lanes and Poinciana Parkway Extension, overall intersection operational results indicated a 23 percent reduction in total signalized intersection control delay within the area of influence during the 2050 design year evening peak hours when compared to No-Build condition.

To accommodate growth, there are several PD&E, design, and construction projects near this PD&E Study. The most important projects relative to this study include the State Road 429 PD&E Study from north of I-4 to Seidel Road and the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s design project for Poinciana Parkway from Ronald Reagan Parkway to County Road 532. Other projects include I-4 Beyond the Ultimate, Widening County Road 532, and widening Old Lake Wilson Road over I-4. These projects alone do not accommodate all of the anticipated traffic increases associated with growth in this region. Additional improvements are still needed.

As part of the study, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise will evaluate the potential social, natural, physical, and cultural effects of the project. Every effort will be made to avoid or minimize impacts to these features. Impacts that cannot be avoided will be mitigated.

After tonight’s meeting, a recommendation will be made and presented to you during the Public Hearing tentatively scheduled for the end of this year. This study is expected to be completed by the summer of 2023. Please note that this schedule is subject to change.

The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by the Florida Department of Transportation pursuant to 23 United States Code Section 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT.

This project is being developed in accordance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Under Title 6 of the Civil Rights Act, public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, or family status. Please contact one of the Title 6 coordinators shown here to express any concerns regarding Florida Turnpike’s compliance with Title 6.

If you would like to speak with someone regarding this project, please contact one of the Turnpike representatives listed here.