At a recent public hearing, Florida Department of Transportation District 5 officials released the Five-Year Work Program for transportation funding in the district’s nine county area, including Osceola County.
The funding plan covers the state’s funding for roads (including the Florida Turnpike), public transit, airports, and rail, and runs from FDOT’s 2026 fiscal year (which begins in July 2025) until June 2030. The first year of funding for the work program is locked in, but funding in the later years is contingent on state revenue levels and yearly legislative action.
One of the highlights for Osceola County is $236 million for the Poinciana Parkway Extension Connector, to tie into the I-4 interchange as developed by the upcoming I-4 Beyond the Ultimate project. Several other Poinciana Parkway connector projects are also in the FDOT plan.
$142 million in federal and state funding is being provided for the John Young Parkway/Pleasant Hill intersection rehab, with $6.2 million in funding for Right of Way (ROW) acquisition available starting in July 2025. Design and additional ROW funding comes in the summer of 2026, with construction funding starting in July 2026.
Another funded high-cost project adds lanes to the Florida Turnpike between U.S. Highway 192 and Partin Settlement Road, at a cost of $174 million in design and construction. Over $66 million in federal and state funds will go for a semi-truck parking facility at the Turnpike’s Canoe Creek Service Plaza, with construction starting as soon as the summer of 2026.
In Kissimmee, an urban corridor improvement project for Central Avenue from Dakin Avenue at Church Street to West Donegan Avenue is funded at $2.2 million for design and ROW acquisition starting in late 2025. The bulk of the funds, $1.9 million, come from the federal government. In 2028, Kissimmee is slated to receive an additional $6 million in federal funding for unspecified, additional urban corridor construction in 2027.
For the Kissimmee Gateway Airport, a $2.5 million state aviation grant is being provided in association with constructing a new air traffic control tower, and another $3.1 million for unspecified airport projects. FDOT provides a portion of matching funds required for Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants, along with local matching funds. Both FDOT’s Aviation Grant program and the federal AIP are funded by state taxes and federal taxes on aviation fuel.
The five-year program also funds numerous county and city agreements for road maintenance, including traffic signals and signage, for state and federal roads and highways.
Finally, several school “sidewalk gap” projects, including Hickory Tree, Boggy Creek, and Deerwood elementary schools and Parkway Middle School are funded in the plan, along with several trail projects throughout Osceola County.
While the FDOT Five-Year plan reflects a significant amount of federal and state funding for transportation projects in Osceola County, it does not represent the entire scope of funding available to the county and incorporated cities of Kissimmee and St. Cloud.
To see the full plan go to: https://bit.ly/49UmxHg.
