Osceola Parkway

County Road 522
Osceola Parkway
Route information
Length:	12.4 mi (20.0 km)
Existed:	June 16, 1987 (original road) August 18, 1995 (parkway) – present
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
East end:	Boggy Creek Road near Buena Ventura Lakes
Location
Counties:	Orange, Osceola
Highway system
Florida State and County Roads Interstate • US • SR (Pre-1945) • Toll • County ← SR 520 SR 524 →

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.

Route description

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]

Original logo featuring Osceola, used until c. 2003

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.

History

Ice cream shop on Oseola Parkway

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]

Future

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]

Junction list

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

References

1. ^ 25-cent toll hike on Osceola Parkway
2. ^ Flowers, Shanna. "New Road May Spur Growth Dart Boulevard Interchange on Florida's Turnpike Could Lure Industry". Orlando Sentinel 12 Jun 1987
3. ^ Lebowitz, Lawrence J. "Disney Helps Map Osceola Road Deal." Orlando Sentinel 2 Oct 1990: A1
4. ^ Owens, Darryl E. "Caution: Construction Ahead on the Turnpike Workers Will Add an Interchange on Florida's Turnpike to Relieve Congestion on Osceola Parkway". Orlando Sentinel 18 Jul 1993: K3
5. ^ "Parkway Pointers". Orlando Sentinel 22 Jul 1995: 1
6. ^ John Young Parkway North

External links

• Osceola County Online - Osceola Parkway
• Florida @ SouthEastRoads - Osceola Parkway (Osceola County 522)
• Osceola Parkway Map

Coordinates: 28°21′19″N 81°27′35″W / 28.355377°N 81.459589°W / 28.355377; -81.459589