Southport needs decision

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Southport needs decision

Opinions

Thursday, 22 April 2010 08:37

The first segment of the proposed Southport Connector will be a long-time coming unless the current Osceola County Commission – or the one that will be in place after the November election – takes the bull by the horns and figure out how to fund this estimated $217 million road project. And that price tag does not include the cost of right of way once the alignment is selected.
The 13-mile first segment would go from Cypress Parkway to an interchange with Florida’s Turnpike and then to Canoe Creek Road.
We agree with Commissioner Ken Smith who said the next commission should at least “establish the right of way” for the first segment. We also agree with Commissioner Mike Harford who said a decision is needed on how to fund it. As we have said before, a decision is needed sooner rather than later on funding a number of our transportation needs, including our portion of commuter rail.
While we might not like it, we see the Southport Connector developed as a toll road on which Poinciana residents could easily get to the turnpike or to St. Cloud instead of going north to Kissimmee on a congested Pleasant Hill Road and then fighting the traffic going east on U.S. Highway 192.
The second segment of the Southport Connector would skirt Lake Gentry and Alligator Lake and then go east of Narcoossee to eventually connect with State Road 528 in Orange County. That roadway could cost an estimated $660 million to build. This project, if deemed feasible and needed, should be funded regionally, since it would serve the entire area, not just our county.
The proposed 9.7-mile Poinciana Parkway is another sorely needed local roadway that would provide another way in and out of Poinciana. Poinciana’s developer once promised to fund the roadway, which would connect to Interstate 4. Then the housing bubble burst, and the county was asked to help with funding. Now, the county is asking for $25 million in federal money to help build it – almost 15 percent of the cost – through Congressman Adam Putnam.
If we get the federal money, great, but we can’t count on it. Bottom line is that we should proceed as if we as a county must fund it. If we get regional funding, that would be great, too.