OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — Construction began earlier this month on a section of State Road 535 in the busy tourist district between Orange and Osceola counties.

But one person who lives there says the project is missing a key component: Something to reduce congestion.

What You Need To Know

  • Construction is underway to resurface State Road 535 between Orange and Osceola counties

  • The project does not include adding extra lanes to address congestion issues

  • The Florida Department of Transportation has a separate project to add extra lanes, but it's currently unfunded

An estimated 56,000 vehicles travel this road every day, which can cause large backups.

Osceola County resident Phil Keller, who has lived near State Road 535 with his wife for 15 years, said traffic on the roadway can be significant.

“Sometimes it can take you 20-25 minutes to go those three miles because of the stop lights and the bumper to bumper traffic,” he said.

Road work is underway from U.S. 192 in Osceola County to just south of International Drive in Orange County.

It’s a more than $13 million resurfacing project that will also build and restore bike lanes along the roadway.

The project will also require drivers on SR-535 to make a U-turn to get onto Poinciana Boulevard if they want to get on Osceola Parkway.

“So, instead of having only one light to get to Osceola Parkway, you’ll have three lights,” said Keller. “The light to get past Poinciana (Boulevard), the light at the turn around and the light back at Poinciana so you can get on Osceola Parkway.”

Keller said he isn’t a fan of the project because one big change was left out of the plan: adding extra lanes to SR-535.

“I think it’s a mistake, they obviously have the room,” he said.

Right now, SR-535 only has two travel lanes in each direction, and based on FDOT’s own projections, traffic is expected to grow by 30% by 2045.

“All they need to do is add a third lane and can easily make traffic flow,” Keller said.

Even though the current project doesn’t including adding extra lanes, that doesn’t mean they aren’t coming.

A project development and environment study is expected to be completed by the end of this year on a proposal to widen SR-535 with three lanes in each direction.

But construction isn’t happening right now because FDOT doesn’t have the money for it.

“At this time, the right-of-way acquisition and construction phases are not yet funded. This is a multi-year process, even before construction starts,” FDOT spokeswoman Cindi Lane said in a statement to Spectrum News.

The current resurfacing project is not expected to wrap up until fall 2025.