KISSIMMEE, Fla. – Osceola County is taking steps to address worsening traffic on one of its most congested roads, Canoe Creek Road.
A study focused on a 4.65-mile segment of Canoe Creek Road from Deer Run Road to U.S. 192 found that traffic on this stretch is expected to double by 2050. The study, a partnership between Osceola County and the City of St. Cloud, evaluated turning the two-lane road into a four-lane one.
On Monday, the Osceola Board of County Commissioners advanced the project to the design phase, beginning work to plan how expanding over four and a half miles of the road would look.
Adding more lanes is projected to improve congestion, a move many locals are eager to see.
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Julio Nieves described the current traffic.
“Oh, it’s bad in the morning. Forget about it. It’s terrible,” he told News 6.
Nieves lives in a neighborhood between Deer Run Road and U.S. 192, where the road would double from two lanes to four, and expressed support for the project.
Donald Chang lives in the same neighborhood and is also on board with it.
“It’d be good. I can’t wait for it to happen,” Chang said.
The county allocated $14 million for the design phase in the 2026 budget. However, future phases, including construction, estimated at $157 million, have not yet been funded. The project is eligible for federal funding because the Florida Department of Transportation was the approving authority. According to the county, each phase of the project takes approximately two years and will be contingent upon available funding.
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While many are in support, not all residents agree with the plan.
“It’s still going to be congested because they continuously build,” Robert Rimini, who lives near Deer Run Road, said. “I don’t like it at all. I think that it’s wrong to do it. What needs to be done? Especially down here? Stop building houses and stores. We don’t need them at all.”
Construction would be split up into two segments. The first segment, from Deer Run Road to Pine Street, will include 11-foot-wide travel lanes, 4-foot-wide paved shoulders, a 16-foot-wide median, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path along the west side and a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on the east side.
The second segment, from Pine Street to U.S. 192, will include 11-foot-wide travel lanes, 4-foot-wide paved shoulders, a 16-foot-wide median, a 10-foot-wide shared-use path and a six-foot side sidewalk.
Other project improvements include new traffic lights at Portofino Vista Boulevard, Creek Woods Drive, and Settlers Trail and stormwater management ponds.
For more information on the project, click here.