GoofGoof
Premium Member
That‘s kinda my point. That interchange isn’t part of RCID and obviously directly benefits Disney but TWDC didn’t pay for it out of pocket. The local government paid for it using taxpayer dollars and I’m sure at the urging of Disney. We don’t know what would have happened in the past without RCID or what will happen in the future if it’s gone, but IMHO the local taxpayers would be footing more of the bill for roads (both construction and maintenance) without RCID. I thought that was a pretty obvious statement but apparently others disagree and think Disney would have just paid for every road themselves out of pocket and would pay to maintain them too. It’s an academic debate and we will never know the answer.It was the I-4/Osceola interchange, and I think it happened about 10 years ago. When originally built in the mid 1990s it didn't have the full set of ramps because it's too close to the Epcot interchange. What they got Orange to pay for was the study to convince FDOT to rebuild the interchange, complete with flyovers to mitigate the weaving that would occur.
They didn't go to Osceola County for funding presumably because they were still upset at Disney for convincing them to build it in the first place. The road beyond Disney really only exists to provide alternate access to the FL Turnpike towards Miami from Disney property. This is because FDOT and what is now CFX wouldn't agree to build an interchange between 417 and the Turnpike. The anticipated toll revenue for Osceola Parkway never appeared.