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ORLANDO, Fla.- Starting July 1, driving around Central Florida may become pricier -- if you take the Central Florida Expressway.
This isn’t the first time CFX has done this. Since 2018, the company has been automatically adjusting its rates annually in relation to the Consumer Price Index. That can range from a two to five-cent increase per toll, although this does change based on tolling location.
As it stands, users who own an transponder can save an average of 30% on tolls compared to those who pay with cash. The CFX tolls page also states that transponder users pay half the amount of those that who “Pay By Plate.”
In April, the company relaunched it’s E-PASS Volume Tolls Savings Program to alleviate customers’ mounting costs.
The program functions on a discount that is based on the number of transactions per transponder each month, with 40-79 tolls a month earning up to 20 percent off, and 80 or more giving consumers up to 25 percent off their monthly costs.
But what are these extra toll costs going towards?
WDBO spoke with Racquel Asa, the Senior Director of External Affairs for the Central Florida Express Way Authority, who explained that these toll increases benefit the company’s five year plan.
The five year work plan was adopted in June, and totals $4.2 billion.
- $2.9 billion towards expansion projects
- $410 million allocated to improving the existing system projects, essentially roads that we drive on
- $338 million to interchange projects in the region
What this means for your daily commute:
An additional lanes coming to the 408 Westbound between the I-4 interchange, Goldenrod, and Semoran Blvd.
“We’re going to be adding an additional lane to help alleviate some of those morning slowdowns, especially as you approach the I-4 interchange,” said Asa. “That is going to be a big relief to the region as you connect to the state’s I-4 project, which was completed some years ago.”
Capacity improvements are expected to come to the 417, with current construction underway in the Lake Nona region between I drive to 528.
According to Asa, CFX is conducting a study concerning the widening of the expressway, for additional sections of the 417, as well as learning how the new flex lane technology can alleviate congestion and crashes in the area.
State Road 429, the north-south corridor for the west part of Orange County, is also seeing capacity improvements, and is currently in its final stages of laying asphalt for additional lanes. State Road 516 will soon connect on southern section of the 429, going towards US 27 in Lake County.
Beyond Expansion
Toll revenue is being invested in the plan’s safety programs, such as the Wrong-Way Driving Detection and Prevention System.
This includes a series of signage and technology that notifies the FDOT Regional Transportation Management Center of a driver driving in or entering the road in the wrong way.
The program started ten years ago and, by 2026, Asa says this technology will be implemented on all existing ramps.
A second program in this plan is the Desk Trooper Pilot Program, which connects drivers involved in car accidents to a Florida Highway Patrol Trooper to assist them with filing a quick crash report and getting them off the road.
“Us providing this other means for people to report and file a minor crash, by the time someone calls, they can get a crash resolved in roughly about 15 to 20 minutes,” said Asa.
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Orlando, Kissimmee, and Sanford have seen a collective addition of 150,000 residents from 2022-2023.
A figure in the report also claims that, within the same year, Brevard County has seen a two percent change.
Asa says these additional lanes are meant to accommodate the surge people coming to the region.
“We’re seeing [traffic continue] to increase year over year over year. And [State Road 408] is one of the main arteries for Central Florida, and we have seen that growth based on the amount of people who have moved to the state and to our region.”
But with these increased accommodations, it brings to mind the question: when does the expansion reach a limit?
When will expansion end?
There are only so many roads that we can build before becoming an even denser concrete jungle. So when asked how this CFX is tackling this question, Asa says-
“We do, as agency, support multimodal within our system.”
Asa is referring to a portion of State Road 528 off of the expressway that connects to the Brightline.
“Roads is only but one means of transport...coming up with a true transportation solution for our region, frankly, will take all of us coming to the table and having conversations of how do we pay for that.”
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