OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is hoping to use money in the state budget to speed up the construction timeline on a project aimed at relieving congestion in Osceola County.

Plans are already in the works to extend the Poinciana Parkway up to Osceola-Polk Line Road. From there, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise wants to take it further north, connecting Poinciana Parkway to I-4 at State Road 429.

“It’s hard to have a business where there is a lot of traffic because people get frustrated,” said Ali Amy with Lucky Paws K9 Training.

Amy and her family operate their dog training program out of their home in the ChampionsGate area.

Osceola County’s population has grown by more than 200,000 people in the past 20 years, and it’s expected to grow by another 200,000 people over the next 20 years.

All those people have cars, and it’s led to major congestion.

“Every single day there’s an accident there. Every single day,” said Amy.

All that congestion leads to crashes. The state found between 2017 and 2022, there were nearly 3,000 crashes along Interstate 4 from Champions Gate Boulevard to World Drive.

The extension of Poinciana Parkway to I-4 would allow drivers to avoid the I-4 and Champions Gate Boulevard interchange.

The turnpike enterprise found the new route would help drivers cut their travel distances in half.

“I feel like it will help out for a little bit but they are building so many houses and apartments, that I just don’t think it’s going to be fixed for very long,” said Amy.

She is hesitant about the project, given the tremendous growth in the area.

The extension also may be built close to some of her neighbors.

“I don’t think I would want to live by that noise,” she said.

The project is a part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Moving Florida Forward program, using $1.3 billion to fast track the project, with construction starting in 2027.

The state is hoping to work with other agencies in Osceola County to use the Poinciana Parkway as a new beltway in the county.