Central Florida Expressway Authority

The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) is a highway authority responsible for construction, maintenance and operation of toll roads in five counties in the Greater Orlando area (specifically Lake, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, and Brevard Counties). , the agency operates all or part of 10 toll roads in the area, totaling .

The authority was created in 2014 as the legal successor of the Orlando–Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA), which only had authority in Orange County, and it was merged with the Osceola County Expressway Authority in 2018. CFX is not the only operator in the region; other toll roads are built directly by the state government through Florida's Turnpike Enterprise.

CFX operates an electronic toll collection system known as E-PASS, one of the first systems of its kind in the United States, whose transponders are free and fully interoperable with SunPass, Peach Pass, and NC QuickPass. Since 2018, CFX also accepts E-ZPass transponders and offers its own E-ZPass-compatible transponder, Uni, for an additional charge.

Jurisdiction

CFX officially defines its system as eight toll roads in the Central Florida area, with an additional road currently under construction. Tolls on any system roads are used to fund construction and maintenance projects throughout the entire system.

On some roads, CFX only has jurisdiction on certain segments; the rest of the road is controlled by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise (if tolled) or the Florida Department of Transportation (if non-tolled). The table below concerns only the CFX-controlled portions of the roads.

Non-system

In addition to the above tollways, CFX operates toll plazas on two "non-system" roads. These roads are managed under special agreements with a local governmental body, and tolls collected on them only fund the specific road.

History

CFX was founded in 1963 for the purpose of building the Bee Line Expressway, and soon built the East-West Expressway.

Many sections of the current expressway system, such as the connection of SR 528 from Sand Lake Road to I-4, the sections of SR 417 in Seminole and Osceola counties, and SR 429 south of Seidel Road, were built by the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, and their toll facilities are managed by the same.

Beginning in 2007, CFX began transitioning its signage from FHWA Series E modified typeface to signs that use the new Clearview typeface.

The newest addition to the CFX system is an extension of Maitland Boulevard ( State Road 414) known as the John Land Apopka Expressway. The expressway opened on May 15, 2009. The project was inherited from the Florida Department of Transportation, which referred to it as the "Apopka Bypass". Planning is also underway for an extension of State Road 429 known as the Wekiva Parkway. In addition, SR 408 underwent a massive overhaul, including the relocation of its two main toll plazas, large sections of widening, and expansion of a bridge over Lake Underhill.

In 2010, CFX was attempting to keep the average toll to $0.11 per mile.

The current 25-year plan, the "2040 Master Plan", was approved in May 2016. Included are two new toll connections to Brevard County (including an extension of SR 408), a southern bypass of SR 417 to Florida's Turnpike south of St. Cloud, a connection bypassing the three remaining signalized intersections on SR 414, and a connection from the Western Beltway to U.S. Highway 27 south of Clermont.

A 2013 grand jury investigation into the CFX, found a "culture of corruption," involving gifts and campaign donations. CFX was criticized for firing the Director who was attempting to stop this corruption, replacing him with a legislator with no experience of running a toll operation. The job paid over $175,000 annually.

Canceled projects

The Central Connector, known by the Florida Department of Transportation as State Road 529Orange County Comptroller - Official Records
book 5045 page 2928 (SR 529), was a proposed tollway planned to parallel Orange Avenue ( SR 527) between downtown Orlando and the Beachline Expressway. The project was canceled in 1991 after much local opposition.

References

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External links

Central Florida Expressway Authority


Transportation in Orange County, Florida
Toll road authorities of the United States