Project SCRAPPED for Roads Near Disney World

Traffic in the Orlando area around Disney World can be ROUGH some days.

In the past few months, we’ve seen Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announce a $7 BILLION proposal that could speed up some highway projects (including some that would impact I-4 in Orlando). Plus, we shared some news about how the roads around Disney World are changing. But now, a previously announced road project for the Disney World area is being SCRAPPED.

According to Spectrum News 13, a plan was in place to build a flyover-type ramp from some nearby roads into Disney Springs. It was part of improvements planned for Interstate 4 (I-4) and State Road 535 (SR-535).

Hotel Plaza Boulevard (which is off of SR-535 and close to I-4) helps guests access a few different hotels, Disney Springs, and Disney World.

The original plan would have called for an “echelon interchange” at SR-535 and Hotel Plaza Boulevard. It would have let guests going north on SR-535 hop on a flyover ramp and get access to Hotel Plaza Boulevard.

Ideally, it would have helped eliminate some of the traffic that can get backed up on SR-535 for those trying to get to Hotel Plaza Boulevard. The flyover would have used some of the land from the Crossroads shopping plaza area that used to exist nearby. That was closed some time ago.

Jay Leonard, the complex general manager at Wyndham Lake Buena Vista Disney Springs, shared “We need something to be able to get traffic down Hotel Plaza Boulevard…There’s just so much traffic here.”

But now, after having already discussed the plan for 2 years, the plan for the flyover has been SCRAPPED by the Florida Department of Transportation.

Leonard shared, “It’s going to be very disappointing because we really had this expectation on the block that we’re going to have traffic coming right into our destination, and just make it a smoother arrival down our boulevard.”

But that doesn’t mean road changes aren’t on the way. Instead of the flyover, the Florida Department of Transportation plans to use that land from the closed Crossroads area to make a “loop ramp from SR-535 to westbound I-4.” This will “eliminate the need for drivers to turn left across traffic to get onto I-4 west.”

The project will also work to lengthen the I-4 west exit ramp, make some changes to the I-4 west entrance ramp, and create an express lane on I-4 west.

According to a spokesperson from the Florida Department of Transportation, the work will still help to alleviate some of the traffic in the area, but it’ll be more focused on helping traffic from SR-535 to I-4 west. The change from the flyover to this I-4 west ramp was reportedly made to get “the best return on investment.”

Construction on this project will start by the end of the year, but Leonard hopes some kind of improvement for the Hotel Plaza Boulevard area roads will come soon. Just getting off I-4 and getting to the hotels in the area can be frustrating for visitors, according to Leonard.

For now, it seems roads in the area could see an improvement in terms of traffic, but not quite in the way originally designed. We’ll keep an eye out for more news and let you know what we find.

For more stories to help you plan your next trip to Disney World, see our posts below. And stay tuned for all the latest news.