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Touting it as “a major milestone”, transportation officials on Tuesday approved a controversial $2.5 billion road project set to reduce congestion but also pave through environmentally sensitive land in southern Osceola County.

The unanimous decision by the Central Florida Expressway Authority in favor of the Southport Connector, a 15-mile tolled expressway that will traverse the Florida Wildlife Corridor and pass near the Disney Wilderness Preserve, marks the final step in a project more than seven years in the making, overcoming lawsuits, public scrutiny and low toll projections.

The scale and investment of the Connector will “rival projects like I-4 Ultimate and the Wekiva Parkway,” said Will Hawthorne, CFX’s director of transportation pla

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