Welcome to the Central Polk Parkway PD&E Study Website!

CENTRAL POLK PARKWAY/INTERSTATE 4 INTERCHANGE LOCATION STUDY

Following Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One approval of the Central Polk Parkway State Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) in March 2011, the department is proceeding with the process of determining where the proposed road will connect with Interstate 4. The federal process, which ends with final approval for the interstate access request by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), usually takes between 18 and 30 months to complete.   

The interstate access request process is initiated through an Interchange Justification Report (IJR) and is completed with an environmental document that must satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, since I-4 is on the Federal Highway System. The federal process involves multiple analyses to determine the location and type of interchange that will minimize impacts to Interstate 4, provide adequate access for the Central Polk Parkway, and consistency with local, regional and state plans. Work on the interstate access request began in August 2011.

Since the approved Central Polk Parkway alignment is adjacent to Osceola County, FDOT District Five and Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (FTE) are involved because of any potential impacts to facilities in their jurisdictions. The connection with Interstate 4 will also require coordination with local governments, developers and regional plans. 

The initial analysis determines suitable locations along I-4 for the interchange. The Central Polk Parkway SEIR provided a potential location between U.S. 27 and C.R. 54 in Polk County. The location is an alternative being considered. The federal process is  evaluating additional interchange locations between U.S. 27 and S.R. 429 (Western Beltway) in Osceola County. The interchange concepts are then refined and analyzed under more specific conditions to determine the best locations for the interchange to be constructed.

PUBLIC NOTICE

On March 22, 2011, Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District One Secretary Stanley M. Cann approved the Final State Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) for the Central Polk Parkway. FDOT conducted a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study to determine the engineering and environmental effects of the proposed project.

The PD&E study also satisfied the requirements of FDOT and followed the process for a SEIR outlined in the FDOT Project Development and Environment Manual. The Final SEIR refl ects full consideration of comments and responses received throughout the project's public involvement process including those resulting from a public hearing held on January 24 and January 27, 2011.

The Central Polk Parkway is proposed as a six-lane, limited access facility within Polk County that will serve as additional north/south routes in the central Polk County regional transportation network. The study limits extend from State Road (SR) 60 east of Bartow northwesterly to the Polk Parkway (SR 570), a distance of approximately 10 miles, and from SR 60 east of Bartow northerly to Interstate 4 near the Polk/Osceola County line, a distance of approximately 30 miles. The proposed multi-lane roadways would be built on new alignments with interchanges and grade separations.

Approval of the recommended alternative is the result of the PD&E study that evaluated various alternatives for the Central Polk Parkway including the no-build alternative. The study included environmental and engineering analyses, a public involvement program and interagency coordination. The new roadways are consistent with the Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) 2035 Polk Mobility Vision Plan.

The project may now proceed to the next phases of development. However, the design, right-of-way and construction phases for the Central Polk Parkway are not currently scheduled in the FDOT Tentative Five-Year Work Program for fi scal years 2012 through 2016.

The approved Final SEIR can be viewed at FDOT District One headquarters, 801 North Broadway Avenue in Bartow. For more information about the project, please contact FDOT project manager Gwen Pipkin by phone at 863-519-2375 or by e-mail at gwen.pipkin@dot.state.fl .us. To view the Final SEIR and other final reports online please go to the Public Involvement page.