TRANSPORTATION

A Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study to widen Florida’s Turnpike from U.S. 192/Kissimmee-St. Cloud South at Milepost (MP) 242 in Osceola County to S.R. 50/Clermont at MP 273 in Orange County was completed in 2003. The need for a new southbound off-ramp at the Turnpike and Kissimmee-St. Cloud South interchange (MP 242) was identified in the PD&E study. This interchange currently serves the northbound off-ramp only. An Interchange Access Request (IAR) document was not prepared during the PD&E study. The PD&E is currently being reevaluated concurrently with the design effort to consider changes in the Turnpike mainline segment from U.S. 192 (MP 242) to Osceola Parkway (MP 249).

The Turnpike mainline design and widening project from MP 242 to MP 249 (FPID: 436194-1) will include the addition of new ramps to and from the north at the Kissimmee-St. Cloud South interchange. The northbound on-ramp will be added to serve the complementary movement to the southbound off-ramp, which was proposed in the PD&E study. This Interchange Modification Report (IMR) provides traffic forecasts, lane requirement evaluations, traffic operations analysis, and safety evaluations for the proposed interchange modification. The Methodology Letter of Understanding (MLOU) for the IMR was approved by the Requester, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (FTE); Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 5; and FDOT Central Systems Planning Office (SPO) in January/February 2017.

Urban growth in Central Florida has had a significant impact on Florida’s Turnpike traffic. Travel demand on the Turnpike through much of Orange and Osceola Counties has increased significantly. The Turnpike system has continued to grow as a “commuter” facility serving trips between urban centers it passes through. The Turnpike has become an important component of local transportation systems. As demand for local access grows, continued increase in traffic volumes at existing interchanges will result in future congestion. If the Turnpike is to efficiently fulfill this evolving role in the urban transportation system, it will require new or modified access points with major crossing roads and streets. It is within this context that a modification is being proposed to the existing interchange at Kissimmee-St. Cloud South (MP 242). The proposed modification would retain the existing northbound off-ramp, while adding new access ramps to and from the north.

The need to modify the Kissimmee-St. Cloud South interchange (or the benefit it will provide) is two-fold. First, it will provide a more efficient new access point to better serve trips originating or ending in St. Cloud, east of the Turnpike. Currently, these trips have to travel along U.S. 192 to access the Turnpike at the Kissimmee-St. Cloud North interchange (MP 244). Second, it will relieve traffic congestion at the Kissimmee-St. Cloud North interchange. Traffic at the intersection of U.S. 192 and Turnpike ramps/Shady Lane experiences long delays and queues under existing conditions. This is mainly due to the heavy off-ramp left-turn and U.S. 192 westbound right-turn movements to and from St. Cloud. As traffic demand continues to increase, traffic operations at this intersection are expected to deteriorate.