About 75,000 people live in the Alafaya Trail corridor.  Until now, they have not had direct access to the Beachline Expressway (SR 528). That is about to change. Mayor Richard Crotty and Suburban Land Reserve have partnered to finally connect South Alafaya Trail to the Beachline. The Mayor and community leaders broke ground on the project that should take about a year to construct. When finished, the connector road is expected to handle 20,000 to 25,000 cars per day.

Mayor Crotty stated, "Today marks an important step toward improving the economy and the quality of life for our region. We are about to break ground on a project that will finally connect this important economic engine to the Beachline Expressway. This will provide residents and workers with much better access to important business centers such as the Medical City, OIA, the tourism corridor and the Space Coast."

The extension of South Alafaya Trail is the next phase of Mayor Crotty's vision for the Innovation Way high tech corridor that will eventually connect the University of Central Florida to the medical city at Lake Nona and Orlando International Airport. The Central Florida Research Park recently announced plans to expand its operation with a second campus along Innovation Way.