When the orange barrels come off Buenaventura Boulevard in 2028, will you still turn home the same way? For a lot of side streets in Buena Ventura Lakes, the county's plans say no. Two years of lane shifts will pass. The new turning pattern will stay.
Osceola County started construction in May 2026 on the $22.1 million Buenaventura Boulevard Safety Improvements and Complete Streets project and expects to finish in summer 2028. The corridor carries about 37,000 vehicles a day, which is more than it was built to handle. A 2020 Florida Department of Transportation study gave it a failing grade for safety, according to WFTV's kickoff report. The county's design documents show which street corners keep a left turn and which ones lose it.
Two projects, one contractor, one long corridor
The work is really two county projects run together. The Safety Improvements segment covers about 1.4 miles from Florida Parkway to Osceola Parkway. The Complete Streets segment covers about 2.4 miles from Simpson Road to Osceola Parkway. On February 16, 2026, the Osceola County Board of Commissioners approved Watson Civil Construction, Inc. for both contracts. The award was $17,573,288.30 for Complete Streets and $4,484,295.06 for Safety Improvements, according to the board's meeting record.
Nearly 80 percent of the money goes to Complete Streets. That's the part built to slow traffic and change how cars get onto and off the boulevard. The resurfacing and new signals are real. Still, the bigger share of the project changes where you're allowed to turn.
The median openings that close
Ahead of an October 15, 2024 public meeting at the Robert Guevara Community Center, 501 Florida Parkway, the county sent corridor property owners a median modification notice. It listed every opening the design proposed to change:
- Ventura Downs/Buena Ventura Lake shopping center: converted to a directional opening that allows only northbound left turns
- Competition Drive/Pine Island Circle: median opening closed
- Briarwood Drive/Cielo Lindo Loop: median opening closed
- Trotters Circle/Florida Parkway four-way intersection: converted to a roundabout
- Trotters Circle three-way intersection: converted to a roundabout
- Rider Circle: converted to a directional opening that allows only southbound left turns
- Median openings between Florida Parkway and Royal Palm Drive: closed
That was a proposal. The later 90 percent design package shows how much of it carried through. In the plan review for Pine Island Circle, Competition Drive, Briarwood Drive and Cielo Lindo, the plans add an R3-5R "Right Turn ONLY" sign under each stop sign where those streets meet the boulevard. Once those signs go up, drivers coming out of those four streets can only turn right. A left turn will take a different route.
Rider Circle had been unclear. The boards displayed at the 2024 public meeting said that opening would close entirely. The 90 percent design summary keeps it open as a directional median for southbound left turns. The same document confirms the directional median at Ventura Downs/Buenaventura Center.
Where the lost left turns go instead
Closing a median moves left turns somewhere else. The design names two places that take on those trips.
The first is Buttonwood Drive. The safety plans widen the median from Competition Drive to Buttonwood Drive to fit a southbound U-turn lane at Buttonwood. The signals at Buttonwood, Florida Parkway and Osceola Parkway are also being rebuilt, with pedestrian signal features and ADA-compliant curb ramps. The design pairs the two changes. Competition Drive loses its median opening, and the stretch from Competition to Buttonwood is where the new U-turn lane goes. For drivers on the streets that become right-turn only, that pairing suggests a new pattern. Turn right, then turn around at the signal.
The second is Trotters Circle. Because Trotters Circle is a loop, it meets Buenaventura Boulevard twice. One meeting point is a four-way junction with Florida Parkway, and the other is a three-way intersection. Both become roundabouts. A roundabout lets drivers reverse direction without a signal. With nearby medians closing, these two intersections become the main places on that stretch to change direction.
The county's 2024 presentation gave drivers these basics for using them:
- Approach at 10 to 15 mph.
- Yield to traffic already circulating, and to pedestrians and cyclists crossing.
- Follow the lane signs.
- Signal right when exiting.
The same presentation proposed lowering the corridor speed limit to 35 mph. That was a 2024 proposal, so check the posted limit once the new signs go up.
A small gain at Archie Gordon Memorial Park
The Complete Streets scope adds a northbound right-turn lane into Archie Gordon Memorial Park, so drivers heading to the park get a dedicated lane off the through traffic. The same scope reduces corner radii at some intersections, which brings turning cars around the corner more slowly.
The walking side of the boulevard
The 12-foot shared-use path is the other permanent change, and the plans place it on the west side of the road from Simpson Road to Osceola Parkway. The design adds rectangular rapid flashing beacons at crossings and textured pavement at midblock crossings and intersections. The county flyer also lists new and connected sidewalks, high-visibility crosswalk markings, upgraded lighting, drainage improvements and landscaping.
The corridor has several neighborhood destinations people already reach on foot or by bike. The Buenaventura Lakes Library is at 405 Buenaventura Boulevard. 65th Infantry Veterans Park, at 301 Buenaventura Boulevard, has an 18-hole disc golf course and the El Yunque splash pad. For anyone heading to the library's two Halloween storytimes on October 28, at 10 a.m. for ages 18 months to 5 years and 11 a.m. for babies, the trip runs through an active work zone this year.
What construction looks like until 2028
Construction began in mid-May 2026 at the Simpson Road end. WFTV reported that La Caribeña Restaurante Mini Market, a Latin restaurant that has been at Buenaventura and Simpson for 19 years, sits right where the work started. The owner told the station she expects the finished road to be worth it. In May, she said she planned to keep serving customers through the construction.
The county's official description is phased work with intermittent lane closures, temporary traffic shifts and periodic access adjustments. The project flyer warns of noise, dust and vibration, and says the schedule can shift with weather. The timing of the work depends on which source you read. The county's May release said work would happen mainly during the day. WFTV reported that the county expected most work to happen at night to reduce disruption for businesses. The flyer covers both, with daytime work plus nighttime work when necessary. As of its July 16, 2026 update, the project page listed the project as in the construction stage.
Because the work moves in phases, an announcement from last month won't tell you much about tomorrow morning. Better places to check:
- Osceola County traffic alerts list current lane and road closures countywide.
- Current Traffic Conditions is the county's live map of traffic events.
- The project team answers questions through Laurie Windham, Public Information Specialist, at 407-218-6537 or [email protected].
- The bilingual project flyer has an English side and a Spanish side, so it's easy to share with neighbors who prefer either language.
The final plan sets for roadway, signals, signage and landscaping are posted on the project page for anyone who wants to look at their own corner. If you live on Pine Island Circle, Competition Drive, Briarwood Drive, Cielo Lindo Loop or Rider Circle, those sheets show how you'll turn onto the boulevard from 2028 on.
If you're thinking about selling or buying a home on one of the side streets where these turns change, how the property connects to Buenaventura Boulevard is part of what a buyer will notice and ask about. Franc Marrero can go through the access plans for a specific address with you and talk through what they could mean for pricing and showings. Schedule a Consultation when you're ready.
