Is a new northern entrance to Walt Disney World in the works?

Feb 12, 2015 in "Magic Kingdom"

Posted: Thursday February 12, 2015 8:41am EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney has been busy over the last few years making a number of changes to the area around the northern edge of property behind the Magic Kingdom.

Individually, the changes to parking, utilities and minor roadworks don’t look very significant. But together, they may signal that Disney is looking to create a new northern entrance to Walt Disney World.

The latest, and perhaps most significant of the changes in the northern area, is the relocation of two backstage buildings - Cast Connection and Property Control. Both of these buildings are not accessible by guests, but can be found directly in the path of what could be a new entrance from Reams Road. Their move in March 2015 to an area behind Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Western Way frees up a great deal of space that would be critical to a new entrance.

Similarly, yesterday’s announcement of the summer 2015 closure of the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Walt Disney World Speedway due to “future transportation improvements” may also be tied to the project. A new entrance from the North would need to integrate into the TTC to handle a high volume of traffic, that does not currently exist, so the removal of the speedway may allow for that secondary entrance and parking plaza booths.

Two key factors could be driving the addition of a northern entrance. Firstly, there is a huge amount of residential building in the area north of the Magic Kingdom, with Horizons West being among the most significant. Thousands of houses are being built, with many more planned over the next few years. Guests arriving from this area would find themselves having to take a long way around to reach one of the existing entrances to Disney property, which is not only inconvenient, but would also increase traffic on those other entrances.

Secondly, the expansion of the Magic Kingdom with New Fantasyland brought even more Cast Members to work at the park, further increasing traffic in the northern area where Magic Kingdom cast park. The situation requires police supervision during peak periods, and cast members are frequently delayed getting to work due to traffic.

It seems likely that any new northern entrance would address both of these issues, creating a new guest entrance that would bring guests directly into property along Floridian Way beside the Grand Floridian Resort, and improved access and parking for the ever increasing number of Cast Members arriving from the north.

Disney has not yet made any comment about expanding the northern entrance, and always, this unconfirmed information should be treated as speculation. 

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castlecake2.0Apr 13, 2023

Apparently Jim Hill is saying that part of the World Drive north project will include a new water bridge? Can anyone confirm?

JoeCamelApr 11, 2023

No more difficulty than a road underpass just as the op said it is money and the few who would use it are don't justify the cost

MisterPenguinApr 11, 2023

Not that hard. A walking underpass does not have to go as deep as a road underpass with clearance for trucks. Nor does it have to go as high as a walking overpass, which also has to be pretty high to account for trucks.

Sir_CliffApr 11, 2023

Please let's not get to the stage of fans imploring DeSantis and Co to intervene every time they don't like a new development at the resort.

EPCOT-O.G.Apr 11, 2023

Seems like the DOD bailed out Disney at crucial junctures in its history and this is how they’re repaid. Figures. CFTOD should do something about this.

networkproApr 11, 2023

Wikipedia has a good summary of how SoG came to be. The salient point is the similar as that plagues them with Marvel characters in Florida... a contractual agreement. In this case, the Department of Defence owns all the buildings of the resort (bought for 43 Million while Disney was in a credit panic with impending demise of Euro Disneyland) and has a 100-year ground lease that started in 1994. DoD would be willing to make a deal of course for the remaining 71 years, but it would be very pricey for the Mouse. DoD would just contract out another resort in the Orlando area and have upwards of several hundred million left over because, after all, this is primarily an Armed Forces Recreation Center, one of five globally. I've stayed at 3 of the 5 and each is very different from the other but all are another home for us.

Vegas Disney FanApr 11, 2023

It’s too bad the water table is so high, a walkway under the road would be a relatively easy and inexpensive solution in most states, not so easy in Florida.

JoeCamelApr 10, 2023

I thought one of the driving reasons SoG was built where it was was that the land is only marginally suitable for further development? Like old landfills a golf course can be an asset in recreation while fulfilling another purpose making the land part of the resort rather than another woodland or swamp.

Cousin HuetApr 10, 2023

We are definitely off TROPIC and you will only get there via bus going forward. I think it all links together and I think the idea that Disney hasn’t changed in a way that would make them desire that very good piece of real estate back is naive but we all have our own opinions and mine is that of someone who has first hand had Disney attacking the Mil perks at an exponentially greater rate.

Cousin HuetApr 10, 2023

Yea, they own the structures but not the land it is sitting on. It absolutely would be a purchase by Disney whether openly hostile or through making life hard in a more casual manner. The DOD does own the structures though.

vikescaperApr 10, 2023

We are going off topic when we are discussing the removal of benefits that SoG guests have. That said, Disney already had a golf resort and ended up selling it to the DoD. I can’t see them wanting the property back when there is other pieces of property they could develop with better transportation options.

lazyboy97oApr 10, 2023

There’s also slow going work to expand Shades of Green.

Grumpy4196Apr 10, 2023

Pretty sure DoD outright owns SoG now. It a was a long term lease initially I believe. So the only way WDW can force them out is to purchase the resort back.

Cousin HuetApr 10, 2023

Disney could easily incorporate the continued access of SOG guests to these areas if they cared to do so but they don’t. Disney has continuously cut back on military benefits including just intentionally making it more difficult in function for no good reason ever since they began to climb back the other way in their business success at the parks. I’ve been in for 23 years and using the benefits since the inception. Disney eyeing the SOG location as something they desire is my educated opinion based on many of their business efforts over the years. The expansion of premium experiences and premium prices, the nickel and dime efforts against guests, and their yearly efforts to scale back military available rooms and other efforts to make it more financially beneficial to them. This particular event is a huge slap in the face in a long line of them for us that come often and use these different options. We are a small % of the population, a much smaller % of the guest there but Disney wants to pinch pennies and regain valuable property. That is my OPINION but I think you will see in time unless someone steps-in.