Southport Connector Expressway
Project Development & Environment Study
A Growing Region
Osceola County is one of the fastest growing counties in the country – with the population expected to surpass 700,000 residents by 2050. Polk County is also growing rapidly, with as many as 1.3 million residents anticipated in the same timeframe. Straddling both counties is the Poinciana community – home to more than 70,000 people – and growing.
Finding Solutions
The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) is working in coordination and in partnership with Osceola and Polk County leaders on solutions to meet the travel demands of the growing number of residents and businesses.
CFX’s goal is to Move Poinciana with enhancements to local infrastructure alongside the Southport Connector Expressway, which is a planned 15-mile expressway connecting Poinciana Parkway with Florida’s Turnpike. CFX is planning the Southport Connector Expressway as part of a series of new roadways to provide easier and more efficient travel for the region – including making it more convenient to get to Interstate 4 and Florida’s Turnpike.
On December 11, 2025, the CFX Governing Board approved the Preferred Alternative for the Southport Connector Expressway Project Development & Environment (PD&E) Study.
CFX has a solution to move the Southport Connector forward to help ease local travel and accommodate new communities in fast-growing Osceola and Polk Counties. The CFX Governing Board on August 13 reviewed a phasing proposal that brings the expressway and local road improvements much closer to moving into design and construction.
By breaking the project into phases, CFX can provide congestion relief to the Poinciana community sooner – and improve regional connectivity through access to Florida’s Turnpike.
The phasing plan significantly reduces the estimated cost and gets the project much closer to financial viability. CFX will seek potential public and private partners to close the remaining project funding gap.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
On this webpage you can learn about the project, schedule a community presentation, find out about public meetings, leave a comment or take a survey to add your voice to the conversation – and more.
SOUTHPORT CONNECTOR EXPRESSWAY PRIORITIES
- Relieve congestion on local roads with an additional transportation option on the Southport Connector Expressway
- Balance regional needs with community concerns
- Provide new multimodal opportunities including a multi-use trail
- Promote efficient connectivity locally and regionally between Florida's Turnpike and planned expressway lanes on Interstate 4
- Enhance evacuation and emergency response
- Support economic development
OUR COMMUNITY BY THE NUMBERS
Population
2021
2050
25% INCREASE
OF VEHICLES PER DAY ON CYPRESS PARKWAY FROM 2019 TO 2024
11,000 MORE HOMES
OSCEOLA COUNTY REVIEWING DEVELOPMENT PLANS FOR ADDITIONAL SINGLE FAMILY HOMES IN THE NEXT 5-10 YEARS
TELL US YOUR STORY!
Send your written, audio or video
(45 seconds or less) testimonial about how traffic congestion affects your daily life at ProjectStudies@CFXway.com