Driving CFX: January 2024

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JANUARY 2024 | ISSUE 98

We’re thrilled to announce that the E-PASS Volume Savings Program is back! On January 1, 2024, all E-PASS customers – including E-PASS business account customers – are automatically eligible to get up to 25% off your already discounted tolls. With 40+ toll transactions per transponder in a month on CFX expressways, the discounts will automatically be applied and listed in your E-PASS statement. Just remember keep your account in good standing to receive the lowest toll rates in Florida.

NEW STUDY DEMONSTRATES THE SUBSTANTIAL ECONOMIC IMPACT OF CFX’s WORK PROGRAM

A new study conducted by the University of South Florida’s Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) finds that the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s (CFX) Fiscal Year 2024- 2028 Five-Year Work Plan will generate over $3.8 Billion in economic activity.

At CFX’s December 14th board meeting, CUTR reported that the agency’s $4.04 billion Five-Year Work Plan is projected to contribute $3.8 billion to local and state gross domestic product (GDP) and add $2.4 billion in wages and income in the Central Florida region. The CFX Work Plan strategically identifies projects that meet the region’s transportation needs and are funded over a five-year period.

Additional highlights from the CUTR study found that CFX’s 2024-2028 Five-Year Work Plan will:

Contribute $214 million in local and state tax revenues
Stimulate $7.1 billion in total output (overall gross business sales)
Help curb CO2 emissions by about 1.2 percent in the region
Reduce costs of health-related issues associated with tailpipe emissions by $18.7 million
Result in annual savings of $104 million in fuel consumption costs
Reduce costs related to travel and accidents by $106 million

As a result of the plan, area households and businesses will also realize:

$1.4 billion in travel time savings – an average of $1,044 per household
An average savings of 69 travel hours a year per household

NEWLY IMPROVED SR 538 / POINCIANA PARKWAY NOW OPEN

CFX announced the completion of the State Road 538 / Poinciana Parkway expansion project – a crucial transportation corridor serving fast-growing Poinciana and Osceola County. The expansion included adding two additional lanes to create a four-lane, divided expressway from Ronald Reagan Parkway to Cypress Parkway.

The newly improved parkway makes it easier and faster for residents to get to regional transportation networks, theme parks, and the Orlando metro area. The 7-mile project began in February 2021 and was completed in December 2023.

The Poinciana Parkway is the first in a series of long-term, regional transportation initiatives that will allow for the expansion of regional economic development and commerce, help improve first responder response times and provide an effective and efficient evacuation route.

For more information about this project, click here.

NOW OPEN: NEW RAMP ON SR 417

To keep traffic moving on one of CFX’s busiest expressways, a new ramp from northbound State Road 417 to Landstar Boulevard is now open. The new ramp (Exit 14) begins about a mile before the previous exit from northbound SR 417 to Landstar Boulevard.

Please note that drivers who miss the new exit ramp will be able to use the next exit ramp at Boggy Creek Road (Exit 17B). Additionally, drivers traveling from Florida’s Turnpike to northbound SR 417 will now have to decide, before entering SR 417, to either keep left to continue to SR 417 or keep right to exit onto Landstar Boulevard.

Navigation services in vehicles or on phones such as Waze, Apple Maps and Google Maps may not yet be updated with this change. As a result, motorists are advised to defer to roadway signs rather than their devices if there are any questions. Click here to learn more about the SR 417 Capacity Improvement Projects.

Thank you for being an E-PASS customer! We have good news and information to help you keep moving and saving on tolls in 2024.

First, the new year is a great time to review your E-PASS account for updates as well as review the current E-PASS User Agreement. Keeping your account information up to date ensures you always pay the lowest toll rate and receive all available customer benefits such as our customer-exclusive volume toll discounts.

The fastest way to access your account information is by signing into your E-PASS account online or with the E-PASS Mobile app available free to download on iOS or Android phones. Check and update all recent changes in your:

Account name, address and email
Payment information
Vehicle make, model and license plate of each vehicle listed on the account. In addition, make sure that your vehicle license plate is attributed to your current E-PASS transponder
Account notifications option

To make sure you always have funds in your account for unexpected trips, enroll in automatic billing on the app or online.

Need help logging in or downloading the E-PASS App? We’ve got you covered. Just contact one of our E-PASS customer service specialists at 1-800-353-7277 from Monday - Friday anytime between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m., or Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our specialists are here to help you with all your E-PASS needs.

E-PASS WALK-IN CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER UPDATE

If you are a fan of in-person customer service, our Walk-in E-PASS Customer Service Center is conveniently located in downtown Orlando and open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We are always ready to assist with your E-PASS or customer service needs. Two things to note:

The Rosalind Avenue entrance to the E-PASS Customer Service Center is closed, but as always, access to the walk-in service center is easy via Orange and Magnolia Avenues. Click here for detailed instructions to the Service center.
On February 3rd, our E-PASS Customer Service Center will temporarily be closed to accommodate the exciting Olympic Marathon Trials here February 3rd in downtown Orlando – the trials route is just outside our center.