The long-sought remedy to the congestive ills along South Alafaya Trail, as well as the need to improve access to the overall highway network, may soon be at hand.
At an East Orlando Chamber of Commerce town hall meeting, serving both as a source of information and as a rally to arouse community support, it was announced that a connector road will be completed by late summer 2009, creating the critical link between the Alafaya Trail extension and the BeachLine Expressway.
This accelerated schedule is a full year before a new State Road 528 interchange is supposed to be finished. This interim solution was spurred by the frustrated demands from residents and Orange County officials, alike, and the financial commitment of the new owners of International Corporate Park.
“There’s no shortage of clarity about the need for getting this done,” said Donald McIntosh, an engineering consultant for Suburban Land Reserve, which bought the 2,900-acre ICP property for $102 million last August. SLR is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which also presides over the Deseret Ranch, a sprawling cattle operation that spans Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties.
SLR will now spend another $12 million to $15 million to begin construction this year on a permanent mile-long, two-lane road that will connect with an existing State Road 528 interchange.
Eventually, this roadway will be expanded to a four-lane divided highway that will accommodate some form of rapid transit as part of the multi-modal transportation network planned for Innovation Way, a high-tech corridor stretching from the University of Central Florida to Orlando International Airport.
As part of that transportation network, the $26 million, 4.8-mile road extension, also to be known as Innovation Way and viewed as an essential link for the region, is now under construction and expected to be completed by November of this year.
At that time the planned widening of the two-lane stretch of South Alafaya Trail, from Curry Ford Road to Avalon Park Boulevard, will commence, with completion set for some time in 2010. Meanwhile, a new S.R. 528 interchange, which will eventually hook up with the Alafaya Trail extension, has been beset by a series of delays, pushing its completion date back to 2010.
This interchange, designed with a halfmile flyover, will allow Innovation Way to continue over the BeachLine Expressway, eventually veering west to connect with Narcoossee Road and OIA. As part of that agreement, approved in 2006, the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority Orange County, Orange County and ICP have all agreed to share the cost of the $30 million interchange.
At last week’s community meeting, the announcement of the roadway connector was met with both triumphant applause and a collective sigh of relief. “This is great news for area business owners as well as residents, who many times are the same people. Everyone will benefit,” said EOCC Chair Maritza Martinez.
“Not only is this connection going to happen, but it will be happening sooner than expected.” In her address, Martinez talked about the “fertile crescent” of Innovation Way and the “creativity and connectivity” needed for it to take root and live up to its potential.
“In order to make this dream a reality, the community will need to work together for this purpose,” she said. “Infrastructure has lagged behind the growth in commerce here. The Alafaya Trail extension and the interchange at State Road 528 is the key to opening the door to our dream.”
A call for service
Following the welcome news, the EOCC forum presented a series of speakers — business owners, residents and officials — all united in their goal of bringing more improvements to the area. Christine Greenaway of Eastwood talked about safety concerns following the burglary of her home in September 2006.
“I guarantee, you will never rest with your head on the pillow in the same way,” she said, calling for more police protection. Amy Carnes, a single mother of a 5- year-old son in Avalon Park, said the community needs more parks and activities for its children.
“We need a place for kids to play. We have no parks and we have no programs,” she said. Mike Marini, owner of Avalon Park’s Wine Down Wine Bar and Cafe, said the connection to the BeachLine Expressway is long overdue, and needed to bring more customers to local businesses that are struggling.
“We need the road to open up the area and bring in new people,” he said. “That road is vitally important.” Lisa Booth, who is planning to open a business in Lake Nona in May, said the development of Innovation Way, and transportation infrastructure, will be crucial to the success of her business.
Carol Ann Dykes, CEO of the UCF Technology Incubator, which provides resources and support to emerging startup companies, stated that the Innovation Way high-tech corridor is a natural outgrowth for the area. The Technology Incubator is located in Central Florida Research Park, near UCF where students and faculty supply the talent to fuel this enterprise, and others. Members of the audience also voiced concerns about schools.
In response, John Edwards, East Area superintendent for Orange County Public Schools, offered a update on Timber Creek High School. The relief high school for Timber Creek and University high schools will be open in time for the 2009-10 school year. He said, however, that due to the wishes of students and their parents, the 400 TCHS seniors in 2009 will remain at Timber Creek to finish out there prep careers.
Therefore, student enrollment at TCHS in 2009 is projected to be about 3,400, dropping to around 2,900 the following year. Edwards added that when the new high school opens, at the former site of Columbia Elementary at Chuluota Road and East Colonial Drive, there will hopefully be no further need for Timber Creek students to use the Avalon Center for Technical Excellence.
“I am not comfortable with our ninthgraders crossing [Avalon Park Boulevard],” Edwards said. The EOCC’s Martinez also pointed to other needs in the East Orlando community, as outlined in the chamber’s 2008 Business Advocacy Agenda. Another library, a new police substation and more roadways are also integral to the ongoing success and growth of the area, she said.
Martinez urged residents to continue their efforts to demand from their government the resources and commitment needed to improve the area’s quality of life. “Share that vision with your elected officials at every level,” she said.
