As any Avalon Park or East Orlando resident knows, the morning and evening commutes can be very trying! Well, I’m happy to say that Orange County understands our pain. Attendees were provided a good update today at the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce breakfast. I’d like to share this recap with you.
EOCC put together a great group of panelists: Mike Snyder with the Expressway Authority, Edward Johnson with Lynx, Renzo Nastasi with Orange County Government and Kelley Teague with Orlando Metroplan. Each came with their own insight into what is happening with transportation specific to East Orlando.
Mike Snyder/Expressway Authority talked about the congestion on 408 specifically. As most of us know the EA has been focusing on reducing traffic on the West side by providing the 192 alternative to those in Apopka; they are also addressing ways to increase traffic flow heading from east to west with the current construction at the I-4 ramps off of 408 (scheduled for completion next year), and with the Lake Underhill bridge which is scheduled for completion in two years. Also of importance to East Orlando is the 528/Beechline and Alafaya Trail extension; Mike said that the Expressway Authority is ready to move forward with this project as soon as the design plans are finalized — no timeframe but certainly great news nonetheless!
Edward Johnson at Lynx talked about the various programs they have available. Have you heard of their “Rack and Roll” program? For bike enthusiasts who need a helping hand getting from point A to point B, Lynx buses offer bike racks so you can take your bike with you rather than lock it up at the bus stop! What a nice value add! Lynx has its Road Ranger program designed to assist stranded motorists get back on the road as quickly as possible; should you get a flat tire, look for some assistance from the Road Rangers that patrol the major arteries. A third program that was mentioned is “Access Lynx” which is designed to address the needs of those with disabilites. Unfortunately, Edward didn’t provide a lot of information on this program but I’m sure you can learn more on their website at www.golynx.com. And the last program discussed was the Transportation Benefits program under which falls their Ride Share programs. Did you know that Lynx provides vans to employers who need to move up to 12 employees from a common residential area to a common work area? This helps provide employers with a tax benefit and employees with a welcome relief from today’s gas prices! Also, they have a Car Pool database that can match you with people in the area who also desire to reduce the monthly expenses associated with single commuting — consider checking this out!
Renzo Nastasi with Orange County Government spoke about some of the projects currently being worked on for East Orlando such as the widening of Alafaya Trail from Avalon Park south to Mark Twain — it is under design and expected to start late 2008; widening of Woodbury Road to a four lane road is under study and plans are to widen it from Challenger Parkway to Lake Underhill. This should take 4-5 years to complete. As most of us know, Innovation Corridor is under construction from Avalon Park Boulevard at Alafaya although he didn’t mention a completion time frame and the Interchange is in design phase.
Kelley Teague of Orlando Metroplan discussed how her group is actively working with all of the above agencies to provide a 30,000 foot perspective and a 30 year multi-modal transportation plan that is financially feasible to implement. This look encompasses mass transit via bus and high speed rail, as well as automobile. Our area is projected to double in number of residents in the next 20 years so the planning they do now is to address the needs for a community of those proportions.
The question was asked as to how the current property tax debates in Tallahassee will impact the funding of these services. The answer is that should there be any decrease in the tax base, it will impact the implementation of some plans for expansion of current roadways as well as the services provided by Lynx. The extent of the impact remains to be seen.
I walked away from the meeting feeling that this team of experts understand our needs and are doing what they can to set forth plans to address our traffic flow issues. Now it is up to our state legislature to decide how all of this will play out.
