OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Tell anyone in Osceola County that they are going on a drive on southern Poinciana Boulevard and they will most certainly feel your pain.

Congestion and crashes plague the busy road in Kissimmee.

“There's a lot of development going on in the area, both residential and commercial, adjacent Polk County and here on the west side of town, so we need to keep up with that increased capacity and demand,” said Osceola County’s Transportation Engineer Steve Kane.

Southern Poinciana Boulevard saw 350 crashes between 2015 and 2019.

An estimated 21,500 vehicles use southern Poinciana Boulevard. That number is expected to jump by 65% in the next 15 years, which is why the county plans to ease that drive.

“There will be additional turn lanes, there will be crosswalks, there will be all the safety features like lighting to get cyclists, pedestrians and motorists safely through the intersections,” said Kane.

Kane says the county plans to widen the two-lane stretch to four lanes from Pleasant Hill Road to Trafalgar Boulevard, plus add a median.

“Certain times of the day, traffic is horrible and can cause a lot of damage from accidents,” said Nazim Ali, who owns Green Lakes Farm, which includes a horse ranch and martial arts gym, along Poinciana Boulevard.

Ali is pleased with the county’s plans for Poinciana Boulevard.

“That will be good for the neighborhood, for the person driving,” he said.

The project will cost $59 million.

Construction on Poinciana Boulevard is expected to begin in the summer of 2023.