Project Development & Environment (PD&E) Study:

About the SR 515 Northeast Connector Expressway Phase 2 Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study

The proposed State Road 515 Northeast Connector Expressway Phase 2 envisions linking Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) northeast to US 192 and extending north toward the future SR 534, segments of which are presently in the design phase.

The Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study will consider, analyze, and evaluate the location and potential phasing of an approximately 15-20-mile expressway connection from Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) northeast to US 192 and north to SR 534. This study will build upon the conclusions of the previous Northeast Connector Expressway Concept, Feasibility, and Mobility (CF&M) Study, the Northeast Connector Expressway Extension CF&M Study, as well as the Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) 2045 Master Plan.

The study objectives include:

• Providing additional east-west routes within the project area
• Promoting regional connectivity
• Maintaining consistency with long-range transportation plans
• Enhancing mobility of the area’s growing population and economy
• Providing for the incorporation of transit options

Project Development Process

Project Background

In 2014, CFX incorporated the Northeast Connector Expressway into its 2040 Master Plan, adopting it from the previous Osceola County Expressway Authority (OCX) 2040 Master Plan.

In 2018, CFX completed a CF&M Study for the Northeast Connector Expressway from Florida’s Turnpike northeast to the Osceola/Orange County line, which evaluated corridor options and their feasibility. At that time, the CFX Board decided to reevaluate the Northeast Connector Expressway corridor periodically in the future as needed by changes in the surrounding communities. As such, a PD&E Study was completed in 2022 for a segment of the CF&M study corridor, designated as Northeast Connector Expressway Phase 1 (from Cyrils Drive to Nova Road). This 4-mile segment has since been redesignated as part of SR 534, with plans for design work scheduled in the later years of CFX’s 2024-2028 Five-Year Work Plan.

The remaining portion of the Northeast Connector Expressway corridor identified in the 2018 CF&M Study is the focus of the current PD&E Study. This study aims to conduct a more thorough examination of corridor alternatives deemed feasible in the earlier Northeast Connector Expressway CF&M Study, as well as additional corridor options, for consistency with the CFX 2045 Master Plan. The PD&E Study will evaluate various alignments, as well as a Preferred Alternative, which will be reviewed for feedback by environmental agencies, stakeholders, and the public.

As noted above, the Northeast Connector Expressway Phase 1 PD&E Study was already completed for the segment of the expressway from Cyrils Drive to Nova Road (now part of SR 534). The SR 515 Northeast Connector Expressway Phase 2 PD&E Study will analyze the remainder of the expressway from Florida’s Turnpike (SR 91) to Nova Road.

Information from the previous CF&M Study can be found here: https://www.cfxway.com/agency-information/plans-studies/project-studies/northeast-connector-expressway/

(Northeast Connector Exp. Ph. 2 PD&E Study Map – Click to Expand)

Study Schedule

About Public Involvement

Public engagement and interagency coordination are an integral part of the PD&E study process. Opportunities for public participation will be provided during the study including two public workshops and a public hearing.

Additional Information

This is a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study which is an initial phase of determining right-of-way acquisition. Property owners near a proposed transportation project often want to know an agency’s process for buying needed private property. Click here for the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s policy on right-of-way acquisition.