A major traffic shift is coming to the World Drive North project area on August 10th. Central Florida Tourism Oversight District Administrator Stephanie Kopelousos announced the shift during a recent CFTOD Board of Supervisors meeting. BlogMickey.com can exclusively report the planned lane shift as the only media outlet in attendance at the in-person meeting. Two of the project’s three roundabouts are now installed along the corridor. The shift will route guests onto the new roadway while crews build the third and final roundabout near the Magic Kingdom parking lot, among other changes.
CFTOD Announces Early August Opening for New Floridian Way Roadway
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- A major traffic shift for Floridian Way as part of the World Drive North project is scheduled for August 10th.
- Two of the project’s three roundabouts are installed, with the third planned near the Magic Kingdom parking lot.
- Temporary connector driveways will keep guest access open at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the Island Tower, and the wedding pavilion.
District Administrator Confirms August 10th Shift
We’ve been tracking the World Drive North Phase III project for years. We most recently reported that the project had been delayed by roughly 15 months. That delay pushed the construction completion date to December 21st, 2027. BlogMickey.com can exclusively report that District Administrator Kopelousos announced August 10th as the date for the next major milestone for the project.
The traffic shift will route guests onto a new segment of Floridian Way. Two of the project’s three planned roundabouts that will handle that traffic shift are now installed. The third roundabout sits at the southernmost point of the project, near the Magic Kingdom parking lot. Crews have not yet built it, and it’s next up for construction. We want to stress that the configuration debuting on August 10th is not the final product. Additional roadway and roundabout work will continue even after this shift takes effect. The full buildout isn’t expected until the project’s new completion date in late 2027.
For an idea of which segment of Floridian Way will be opening, check out the graphic below. The lane shift will take drivers along the newly constructed strip of roadway highlighted in pink. This lane shift will put all guest traffic in the southbound lanes already built between the Magic Kingdom parking lot and the entrance to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. This shift will allow crews to build out the northbound lanes. Both northbound and southbound lanes should already be constructed from the roundabout at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort through to the northern connection point shown in teal below.
Temporary Driveways Keep Resort Entrances Open
To keep guests moving during this interim period, crews have built temporary connector driveways. These driveways allow continued access to three existing entrances: the main entrance of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, the Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and the Grand Floridian wedding pavilion. They’re stopgap measures as work continues for the northbound strip of roadway. The permit approved for the Grand Floridian entrance work calls for the resort’s main entrance to eventually connect directly into one of the project’s permanent roundabouts. A similar plan is in place for the wedding pavilion, which is set to receive a new entrance south of its current one. Until that work is finished, the temporary driveways will keep those entrances functional as the roadway around them continues to change shape.
The Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort will have a connector driveway that will similarly serve as a bridge until the surrounding roadway work is complete. Guests headed to any of these three locations should expect the temporary driveways to remain the primary access points for now. Further changes are possible as the final roundabout takes shape near the Magic Kingdom parking lot, and the new northbound lanes are built.
What This Means for the Project Going Forward
This is only the latest step in a project that has taken shape gradually. While the project is inching closer to its 2027 end date, guests navigating the area should do so cautiously, as it’s an active construction zone in the meantime.
Story So Far
- CFTOD documents revealed the World Drive North Phase III project would be delayed by roughly 15 months, pushing the new completion date to December 21st, 2027, as we reported in March.
- A permit for the readjusted entrance to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort was approved in November, outlining the roundabout connections and wedding pavilion changes tied to the project.
- The new entrance at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort opened to guests in December, part of the broader roadway realignment in the area.
- The Seven Seas Lagoon connection to World Drive/Floridian Way has been cut off in preparation for this lane shift
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!