For the past few years, the Seminole County Chamber has advocated for improved infrastructure to ease congestion around Orlando Sanford International Airport. Right now, it can take a significant amount of time and frustration to travel the roads leading into the airport as congestion has grown in that area.

As more and more houses are being built near that area, and with the expansion of sports facilities in the county, access to our local airport is critical for businesses.

After all, time spent in traffic is time that our residents are not shopping at our stores and eating at our restaurants. For service companies, spending time in traffic takes away from time spent helping customers. And for so many companies who depend on deliveries to be at certain times, traffic can create significant issues.

That's why when local news stations were looking for someone to talk about a potential expansion of S.R. 417 into the Orlando Sanford International Airport, our leadership was there to provide insight.

Last week, WFTV Channel 9 visited the Seminole County Chamber's office to discuss the impacts of the new road with Rebekah Arthur, president & CEO, Seminole County Chamber.

"The business community is very interested in seeing this road and what it could mean for our community and for the tourism industry," she said.

WESH 2 News followed up the next day. "We know that a connector in some way, shape or form to our airport is going to not only help tourism and ease of access for our residents, but it's going to bring new people to our community and our businesses," she told the reporter.

On April 2, the Central Florida Expressway Authority held a public meeting near the road extension for the community to learn more. Arthur spoke to Fox 35 earlier in the day and at the meeting, two of our members, Alena Rivera, owner, Exit Realty Premier Legacy, and Kate Olson, owner, Your CBD Store Lake Mary, came to the meeting to provide insight into their thoughts about the new road.

Both members were interviewed by Fox 35 and Spectrum News 13. 

"We have 1,000 new homeowners coming to the Orlando area every week, so this road will help us keep up with that and provide the housing we will need for our new residents," Rivera says. 

You can view all four news segments on the Seminole County Chamber's YouTube channel.

In addition, if you would like more information about the project, please visit here.