If you are a commuter looking for a north-south alternate route to Michigan Avenue or Orange Blossom Trail in Kissimmee — or you live in Mill Run and don’t want to make three right turns to reach Osceola Parkway — you received a gift on Wednesday.
Osceola County opened a new stretch of Bill Beck Boulevard, from north of Imagine Kissimmee Charter Academy to the Parkway, where a new traffic signal is now in service just west of Florida’s Turnpike.
The 1.13 mile route, designed and built for about $10.7 million, includes a 225-foot elevated bridge over Mill Slough, one of a number of features the road construction included to help with stormwater drainage. New sidewalks and street lights were part of the project.
It’s the first of a number of county road projects paid for with the proceeds from re-financing the bonds used to finance the building of Osceola Parkway.
County officials, design and construction representatives, local residents — and even the summer campers from the charter school were on hand for what was a happy occasion for several reasons.
For local residents, the road ends decades of promises for a direct connection to other major roads, and addresses safety.
“It’s a dream come true,” said longtime Mill Creek North resident Miguel Gonzalez, who rode his bike up to the ribbon cutting. “Having to go to Mill Run (Lane) and then to fight the Michigan and Osceola traffic just to go to the store is rough. And, even if they didn’t build this road, that traffic like (at the Parkway) has been necessary, that intersection was waiting for a horrible accident with too many people in the median to cross.
“Since we moved here we’ve been told Bill Beck would extend all the way to 192.”
For the county, this kicks off a number of road projects that represent the $2 billion “Osceola Roads” (www.osceola.org/osceola-roads) investment in local infrastructure. Assistant County Manager Tawny Olore noted that projects to expand Poinciana Boulevard and Partin Settlement Road have reached the construction bid stage, Boggy Creek Road will soon be, and Neptune Road is scheduled for bidding within the month.
“We’re receiving federal funding for Neptune, and the reason why that’s a little behind is because we have to go through county, state and federal approvals,” Olore said. “It adds a little bit of time for three sets of eyes. But, we’re happy to get all of these projects under construction and getting them toward completion.”
