SANFORD, Fla. – The Central Florida Expressway Authority is taking its next step toward building a new expressway connector linking State Road 417 to Orlando Sanford International Airport.
During a Thursday morning meeting, the CFX Board is scheduled to vote on a $12.1 million contract with DRMP to design the S.R. 452 Seminole Connector. The vote is set for 9 a.m.
The project was first studied in 2007 but was shelved for more than a decade. In 2022, Seminole County asked CFX to revisit the proposal as traffic around the airport continued to grow.
The planned two-lane expressway connector is designed to be expandable to four lanes to and from southbound S.R. 417. It is also intended to provide an alternative route to East Lake Mary Boulevard, Red Cleveland Boulevard and Orlando Sanford International Airport.
Ashley Rowe, who often drives between Sanford and the University of Central Florida, said the connector could provide much-needed relief for commuters.
“The more roads you have, I think the more you can disperse that traffic. It definitely can’t hurt,” Rowe said.
Earlier this year, Seminole County agreed to contribute $50 million toward the project. The use of taxpayer funds on a toll road has not sat well with some residents, including Chris Norman.
“I don’t think tax money should be used to pay for it in any case,” Norman said. “You’ve got to pay a toll on it. Money’s got to be paid up front and everybody who drives on it is going to have to pay that money until it’s covered.”
Construction on the Seminole Connector is not anticipated to begin until 2031.
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