<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2VICQg_1GoXJkuw00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2VICQg_1GoXJkuw00" width="1158" height="742" ><figcaption>A Florida Department of Transportation map displays historical traffic counts along Lockwood Boulevard in Oviedo. Traffic data showed an average of 18,300 vehicles per day on this section of roadway in 2025, reflecting an increase from 17,300 vehicles per day in 2022. Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation online</figcaption></figure>For Micah Kovach, getting to a 9 a.m. class at UCF means leaving home an hour early to account for traffic, parking and the walk to class.Kovach, senior optics and photonics major, said his commute from home to campus typically takes about 45 minutes, including finding parking. When he first moved farther away from campus, 25 miles, he underestimated how long the school trip would take.“The first few weeks, I was late a ton,” Kovach said.Kovach said he now leaves home around 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. class to allow enough time to get there while accounting for traffic. Before moving, he said he could leave home around 8:40 or 8:45 a.m.As UCF’s community continues to grow, traffic congestion in Oviedo and the surrounding area is creating challenges for students like Kovach who commute to campus. Students say traffic, construction and the time needed to find parking can make getting to class more difficult.Bobby Wyatt, the City of Oviedo's public works director, said traffic has become heavier and more congested in recent years. Traffic counts on a section of Lockwood Boulevard northeast of UCF averaged 18,300 vehicles per day in 2025, up from 17,700 in 2024, according to the Florida Department of Transportation's Florida Traffic Online database.Wyatt said development throughout the surrounding area is partly behind worsening congestion.“It's basically from all the developments going on around us, and not only from the UCF area, but you have to consider East Orange County as well,” Wyatt said.Broad Oak Oviedo, a planned 252-unit residential community announced in January 2025, is one example of the area's housing development.Another project, Oviedo Commons, was announced in July 2026 and is planned to include 197 residential units and more than 12,000 square feet of retail space near Alafaya Trail. The developer expects the project to open in early 2028.Kovach said he has noticed construction and new housing developments around Oviedo and near UCF. He said he believed construction-related lane closures and the number of students commuting to campus contribute to traffic.For Sean Argento, sophomore journalism pending major, commuting can also add stress to his daily routine. Argento said relying on public transportation and rideshare services can make his commute last up to two hours, sometimes requiring him to wake up as early as 4 a.m. to arrive on time. He said sitting in traffic can be draining, especially when students are worried about arriving to class or other obligations on time.“It's just another layer of stress and anxiety to deal with, and that can be very taxing at times,” Argento said.Argento said he typically leaves home around 6 a.m. when he has a morning class and tries not to stay on campus past 10 p.m. because of the time it takes to get home.Kovach said access to campus can also be a challenge, particularly when traffic builds up on the roads connecting the surrounding area to UCF. Despite growing traffic demand, Wyatt said the city's existing road infrastructure is struggling to keep pace with development.Wyatt said the city is focusing on improvements it can afford, including adjustments to intersections, turn lanes, road markings and traffic signal timing.“What we're trying to do is make the intersections flow better because that's really all we can afford, that and access management improvements,” Wyatt said.These types of improvements are intended to help traffic move more efficiently while making roads safer, Wyatt said.However, Wyatt said there are limits to how much these adjustments can accomplish when the number of vehicles exceeds a roadway's capacity.“If you've got too much traffic for a road that can only handle so much volume, you're going to get backed up,” Wyatt said. “There's just nothing we can do.”Wyatt said addressing congestion as the area continues to grow would require additional funding for roadway improvements and expanded capacity. However, widening roads or building new ones involves more than adding lanes.Projects may require purchasing additional land and planning drainage systems to manage stormwater. These costs make major road projects expensive and complicated, especially for a city working with a limited budget, Wyatt said.Amid the city's attempts to improve traffic, Kovach said the drive home from UCF can be more frustrating than the trip to campus. He said leaving around 5 p.m. can turn his usual commute into an even longer trip home.“I'm just kind of over it,” Kovach said.</div></body>

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For Micah Kovach, getting to a 9 a.m. class at UCF means leaving home an hour early to account for traffic, parking and the walk to class. Kovach, senior optics and photonics major, said his commute from home to campus typically takes about 45 minutes, including finding parking. When he first moved farther away from campus, 25 miles, he underestimated how long the school trip would take.

Growing traffic in Oviedo creates challenges for UCF commuters

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For Micah Kovach, getting to a 9 a.m. class at UCF means leaving home an hour early to account for traffic, parking and the walk to class. Kovach, senior o

Growing traffic in Oviedo creates challenges for UCF commuters

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