Downtown Orlando Project Discussion

[codypet]

Someone wrote into the Orlando Sentinel's Road Warrior about this a few weeks ago and the highway department's response was, if people travel the speed limit, they will have no problem navigating through the curve. About time someone stands up for personal responsibility.

I agree as long as the people driving on Division Street don't get hit by one of the cars falling off the ramp.

[mgsports]

At least it's over under the Highway and you won't be stuck waiting for a Train to pass by.

How many Bridges are they going to be? Because it looks like the former Triangle in Kansas City,MO that went different ways.

[Migman]

Wow that is a sharp turning onramp to I-4 East. Yikes!

Most definitely! I took that turn a few weeks back going a little faster than required. Was grinning ear to ear. Made me wish I had something with better weight distribution. Like a BMW 3-series.

[JRS1]

imagine how cool that new Garland exit will be.

not to mention the 408 WB to I-4 EB ramp.

the Anderson St. overpass and rampage is looking good.

[bulldogger]

On Friday (today), May 9th, the entrance ramp from Orange Avenue at Lucerne Circle to westbound SR 408 will close at 7:30pm so construction crews can mill and resurface Lucerne Circle and the approach to the SR 408 entrance ramp. The ramp will remain closed 24 hours each day until Tuesday, May 13th. A few parking spaces in front of the OUC Building will be closed during the same period.

[codypet]

On Friday (today), May 9th, the entrance ramp from Orange Avenue at Lucerne Circle to westbound SR 408 will close at 7:30pm so construction crews can mill and resurface Lucerne Circle and the approach to the SR 408 entrance ramp. The ramp will remain closed 24 hours each day until Tuesday, May 13th. A few parking spaces in front of the OUC Building will be closed during the same period.

On a similar note, this weekend the SR 408 Holland east toll plaza will close and the new Conway toll Plaza will open. The Conway toll plaza will have the ORT Epass open as well (in the eastbound direction).

[JRS1]

it's an amazing growth period for Orlando highways right now. 408 is now awesome and still improving; and the Turnpike is 8 lanes from I-4 to 528/441, and will be 8 lanes to 429 in another 2 years.

a few years back, the St. Johns I-4 bridge was replaced with this new one, and with all these other improvements, the Orlando of old ala highways will be a thing of the past. It's kind of like what Louisville went through in the mid-90's with the widening of their expressways.

[mgsports]

How about other roads like 436,441 and so on what will they be in the future?

[bic]

it's an amazing growth period for Orlando highways right now. 408 is now awesome and still improving; and the Turnpike is 8 lanes from I-4 to 528/441, and will be 8 lanes to 429 in another 2 years.

a few years back, the St. Johns I-4 bridge was replaced with this new one, and with all these other improvements, the Orlando of old ala highways will be a thing of the past. It's kind of like what Louisville went through in the mid-90's with the widening of their expressways.

And yet traffic in Orlando is still among the worst in the country.

[JRS1]

How about other roads like 436,441 and so on what will they be in the future?

I think 436 is built out from Apopka to 528. the 436-50 interchange is the next big project, and the widening of 50-- that's what we'll be seeing for some time.

441 is a different story. but, I think the 414 extension and Apopka bypass will remove the imediate need to widen it in NW Orange. As for the rest of 441, they recently completed widening it in no man's land south of 528 to 417, so, that might be it for 441.

[bulldogger]

I think 436 is built out from Apopka to 528. the 436-50 interchange is the next big project, and the widening of 50-- that's what we'll be seeing for some time.

Are there any plans to widen 50 between JYP/Tampa Ave area through Bumby or is the widening only happening east of Semoran?

[JRS1]

Are there any plans to widen 50 between JYP/Tampa Ave area through Bumby or is the widening only happening east of Semoran?

not sure, but my guess is no way will they widen it thru downtown--- ever. but, you know the deal with Sean Connery and Bond films...

[FLheat]

not sure, but my guess is no way will they widen it thru downtown--- ever. but, you know the deal with Sean Connery and Bond films...

I thought it was stupid to waste all that money a couple of years ago to narrow hwy 50 between OBT and I4 with the curb planters that took away parking and replaced it with dead palm trees. That was the ugliest execution of beautification I have seen.

Edited May 14, 2008 by FLheat

[prahaboheme]

Colonial is wide enough--widening is not a solution to traffic congestion.

[bulldogger]

OK. Next time I'm on Colonial, I'll keep that in mind... especially on Saturday around noon when everyone and their families are going to either Fashion Square area or Little Saigon. Thanks.

[spenser1058]

OK. Next time I'm on Colonial, I'll keep that in mind... especially on Saturday around noon when everyone and their families are going to either Fashion Square area or Little Saigon. Thanks.

The trick is just to stay off Colonial as much as possible. Between OBT and Maguire, there are an infinite number of routes to get where you're going and stay off 50 until you get within a block or so of where you're headed. That, of course, is the wonder of the grid vs. the suburban cul-de-sac model. I always smile as I wait at an intersection like Ferncreek or Hampton at Colonial at the suburban folks stuck on 50, knowing that I can just go a couple of blocks to Livingston or Robinson (or in many cases Mt. Vernon or Amelia or Concord) and zoom on by.

[prahaboheme]

OK. Next time I'm on Colonial, I'll keep that in mind... especially on Saturday around noon when everyone and their families are going to either Fashion Square area or Little Saigon. Thanks.

Awesome! And you can also keep in mind next Saturday when cars are entering and exiting right on Colonial that with a little reconfiguring, much of that traffic can be dumped onto a side street (urban planning 101). Then Colonial can become the thoroughfare it should have been all along. But I suppose sarcasm and emoticons is more fun.

Edited May 14, 2008 by prahaboheme

[mgsports]

Just take 441 to get around that area if you don't have to go to places on that part of 50.

Edited May 15, 2008 by mgsports

[bulldogger]

Awesome! And you can also keep in mind next Saturday when cars are entering and exiting right on Colonial that with a little reconfiguring, much of that traffic can be dumped onto a side street (urban planning 101). Then Colonial can become the thoroughfare it should have been all along. But I suppose sarcasm and emoticons is more fun.

Do you like Little Saigon? I do, but I can't stand going through that area. If the parking was eliminated on Colonial and widened by making use of these lanes, people wouldn't stop and try to parallel park. They would have to go to a parking garage one block off of Colonial. When someone parallel parks, it not only takes up the parking lane, but also impedes traffic in another lane. Then, impatient drivers in that lane scurry over to the last available lane and cause more backups and subsequent road rage. I have driven this for years and as of late, I walk or run through on my way to Publix. It will continue to happen until the city develops some parking on Hillcrest or Concord. Widen the roadway which is already in place. To be cheap, they could just repaint the lines (I'm sure a multi-million dollar study would have to be done first, though). The intersection of Bumby is also horrible because people are trying to squeeze ahead from the 3rd lane before they get cut off at Wendy's.

So what you're telling me is that Colonial needs to be as wide as it is everywhere else except where the congestion is the worst. Last time I checked, that is called a bottleneck. You think that all the cars are entering and exiting Colonial from one place? They aren't just coming from I-4. Colonial is a thoroughfare right now. People use it to go cross town if they don't want to pay a toll. You can't take Robinson or Amelia or Livingston any further than the airport and north of Colonial keeps getting interrupted by the old 6 way (now compounded) intersections and old Navy base as well as too numerous speed humps to count.

It is compounded on the weekends by people that are trying to get to all the Asian shops on Colonial. How can they avoid it unless the city provided a garage at least a block off? I would just like to see it resolved. I live on Concord, so I take the sidestreets when I do drive, but nevertheless will end up going a block or two on Colonial to arrive at my destination.

Sorry, I was being a smart ass earlier.

Praha, since you mention a little reconfiguring is basic, what would you suggest to alleviate the congestion?

Edited May 15, 2008 by bulldogger

[spenser1058]

Do you like Little Saigon? I do, but I can't stand going through that area. If the parking was eliminated on Colonial and widened by making use of these lanes, people wouldn't stop and try to parallel park. They would have to go to a parking garage one block off of Colonial. When someone parallel parks, it not only takes up the parking lane, but also impedes traffic in another lane. Then, impatient drivers in that lane scurry over to the last available lane and cause more backups and subsequent road rage. I have driven this for years and as of late, I walk or run through on my way to Publix. It will continue to happen until the city develops some parking on Hillcrest or Concord. Widen the roadway which is already in place. To be cheap, they could just repaint the lines (I'm sure a multi-million dollar study would have to be done first, though). The intersection of Bumby is also horrible because people are trying to squeeze ahead from the 3rd lane before they get cut off at Wendy's.

So what you're telling me is that Colonial needs to be as wide as it is everywhere else except where the congestion is the worst. Last time I checked, that is called a bottleneck. You think that all the cars are entering and exiting Colonial from one place? They aren't just coming from I-4. Colonial is a thoroughfare right now. People use it to go cross town if they don't want to pay a toll. You can't take Robinson or Amelia or Livingston any further than the airport and north of Colonial keeps getting interrupted by the old 6 way (now compounded) intersections and old Navy base as well as too numerous speed humps to count.

It is compounded on the weekends by people that are trying to get to all the Asian shops on Colonial. How can they avoid it unless the city provided a garage at least a block off? I would just like to see it resolved. I live on Concord, so I take the sidestreets when I do drive, but nevertheless will end up going a block or two on Colonial to arrive at my destination.

Sorry, I was being a smart ass earlier.

Praha, since you mention a little reconfiguring is basic, what would you suggest to alleviate the congestion?

The problem, of course, is that if you make parking easy, transit will never gain a foothold. This echoes the argument between Lou Treadway (county commission chair) and Mayor Bill in the '80's. Treadway desperately wanted to hold off building parking garages downtown and use a combination gas tax/sales tax increase to get Lynx to a minimum level of funding and begin work on light rail. At that point (prior to the county converting to a strong mayor system), the Orlando mayor was the stud duck politically and Mayor Bill began building parking garages all over downtown. The result is the continuing lack of transit you see today.

Also, if you make Colonial a 6-way thruway, you'll be condemning that area to what I call "436" syndrome. Sorry, I just can't agree with that approach in an area we're trying to make something special. We'll just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[JRS1]

The trick is just to stay off Colonial as much as possible. Between OBT and Maguire, there are an infinite number of routes to get where you're going and stay off 50 until you get within a block or so of where you're headed. That, of course, is the wonder of the grid vs. the suburban cul-de-sac model. I always smile as I wait at an intersection like Ferncreek or Hampton at Colonial at the suburban folks stuck on 50, knowing that I can just go a couple of blocks to Livingston or Robinson (or in many cases Mt. Vernon or Amelia or Concord) and zoom on by.

Amen, bruddah.

and this is precisely why the City of Orlando is superior to suburban Orlando...

Edited May 15, 2008 by JRS1

[prahaboheme]

bulldogger, eliminate all Colonial entrance/exit points to the Fashion Square Mall and all the strip mall plazas in the direct vicinity that are not intersections. They can all dump onto side streets, not Colonial. Just imagine, with this simple change, how much smoother (and safer) a trip down Colonial would be without cars jetting in and out of parking lots. Then, adopt a new development code that ensures all new development have a footprint at the sidewalk with parking behind (or gasp, no parking at all!). This will encourage walking (like in Little Siagon).

[bic]

"The westbound I-4 ramp to Division Street (Exit 82C) will be closed nightly between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. through May 22 while crews build a new Anderson Street bridge over I-4. Drivers should plan on using the South Street exit ramp (Exit 83)." -Trans4mation.org

[ORLANDOJBBOY]

I think 436 is built out from Apopka to 528. the 436-50 interchange is the next big project, and the widening of 50-- that's what we'll be seeing for some time.

441 is a different story. but, I think the 414 extension and Apopka bypass will remove the imediate need to widen it in NW Orange. As for the rest of 441, they recently completed widening it in no man's land south of 528 to 417, so, that might be it for 441.

Once the Overpass at 436/50 is complete they will be starting either the flyover and interchange at 436/Redbug Lake Road or the 436/1792 overpass.

[JRS1]

^^

what is the deal with the 436/17/92 interchange, is it still on, b/c I keep hearing the opposite?

^^

Little Saigon-- they should build a wall thing like at Splendid China on both sides on Colonial marking the neighborhood-- and perhaps change the street lighting to signify the neighborhood. also, there's a few lots 1/2 block off of 50 that could really be developed with more Asian retail-restaurant, etc., to really densify the neighborhood-- on the north side of 50.