Why is this roadway needed? Can't SR 50, University Boulevard and Aloma Avenue be widened instead of building this road? The need for this roadway was identified and determined through the East Orange County Transportation Needs Study (EOCTNS) completed in 1998. This study identified the need for a new east-west roadway between University Boulevard and SR 50, primarily to improve mobility for the residents living in the area and secondarily, to provide some traffic congestion relief to University Boulevard and SR 50. In addition to the new east-west road, this study also identified the need to improve Aloma Avenue and SR 50 from 4 to 6 lanes. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is presently preparing plans to improve SR 50 from 4 to 6 lanes. University Boulevard already has 6 lanes which is the maximum number of through lanes allowed on a County road. Orange County is currently evaluating Transportation Systems Management (TSM) alternatives on University Boulevard in order to provide some operational improvements since it cannot be widened beyond its existing 6 lanes. Even with improvements to Aloma Avenue and SR 50, the new east-west road is still needed. If my home is located within the pink area shown on the first RCA newsletter, does it mean my home will be acquired or impacted and when will I know if my home is going to be impacted? The newsletters that were mailed out included a pink shaded area that identified the study area that is being considered for this new roadway. In actuality, only a small portion of the pink shaded area will be directly impacted as a result of the final location (alignment) of the roadway. Will this be a toll road and will it be an expressway? This road will not be part of the expressway system, it will not be elevated and it will not be a toll road. This road will provide a connection between the neighborhoods in eastern Orange County and SR 436 to the west and Dean Road to the east. The proposed roadway improvements include sidewalks, bicycle lanes, landscaping and lighting. What is the process if the new road impacts my house? Once the County has identified the final right-of-way requirements, the County right-of-way agents will begin the preparation of right-of-way appraisals for impacted properties. During this process, impacted property owners will be contacted directly by the County right-of-way agents. Once the appraisal is completed, the County will offer to purchase their property for the appraised value. Property owners have certain rights guaranteed to them by the State of Florida. 1 Page
Will the zoning and land use change along this new roadway? The new roadway will not change the zoning. If any property owner wishes to change the zoning of his/her property, the property owner must make a zoning change request to the County's Zoning Department. The Zoning Board and the Board of County Commissioners must approve the request. Why didn't I receive a notice for public meetings during the RCA Study? The first newsletter for the RCA project was mailed notifying over 4,300 property owners in the area that the study was underway and that the first Public Meeting would be held on December 2, 1999. The mailing list was obtained from the Orange County Property Appraisers office and was the most current information available to us at that time. In addition, a display advertisement was published in the Orlando Sentinel on Sunday, November 28, 1999 notifying the public of the meeting. If you improve other roads such as Colonial Drive and Econlockhatchee Trail, this new roadway will not be needed. The East Orange County Transportation Needs Study, (completed in 1998), identified the need for numerous roadway improvements in the area bounded by SR 50, SR 436, the Seminole County Line and Chuluota Road. All of these roadway improvements, including the east-west roadway, will be needed to serve traffic in east Orange County over the next 20 years. The following is a list of these recommended roadway improvements that was approved as part of the Study: Widen SR 50 to six lanes from SR 436 to Old Cheney Highway (This project is currently being designed by the Florida Department of Transportation). Widen Rouse Road to four lanes from Lake Underhill Road to Corporate Boulevard (The design of this project is in its final stages). Conduct a study to determine the location for a new east-west road from SR 436 to North Tanner Road in the area north of SR 50 and south of University Boulevard. This project, from SR 436 to Dean Road, being conducted by the County, is the first phase of this project. Study a new road near the Orange/Seminole County line from Dean Road to SR 434 (This study was completed, determining that a new road in the area was not feasible). Widen SR 434 to six lanes from Corporate Boulevard to McCulloch Road. Provide additional improvements to Forsyth Road from SR 50 to University Boulevard (These improvements are under construction). 2 Page
Widen Hall Road to four lanes from University Boulevard to Aloma Avenue. Provide a new two lane roadway (Woodbury Road extension) from SR 50 to Challenger Parkway. Widen Aloma Avenue to six lanes from SR 436 to the Central Florida Greeneway. Widen Econlockhatchee Trail to four lanes from SR 50 to University Boulevard. Widen Dean Road from University Boulevard to Aloma Avenue. Use 12-foot lanes, not 11-foot lanes. Through input from the Project Advisory Team members, specifically neighborhood representatives, 11-foot lanes are proposed for the roadway east of Forsyth Road. The narrower lanes will help "calm" traffic through the residential areas. Twelve-foot lanes are proposed for the industrial/commercial area between SR 436 and Forsyth Road. A new road through these neighborhoods will not be safe for our children. Currently, some motorists are using the residential streets as a cut-through so that they do not have to use University Boulevard or SR 50. This new roadway will provide a safer route for these people and should relieve traffic on the residential streets. This road will also have on-road bicycle lanes, sidewalks and street lighting. Also, a representative of Orange County Public Schools is on the Project Advisory Team to ensure that the issue of school children safety is addressed. Take the tolls off of the East-West Expressway and the GreeneWay and this road will not be needed. The East West Expressway and other toll roads in the Orlando area are under the jurisdiction of the Orlando Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) and not Orange County. In order to construct these toll roads, approximately 1.2 billion dollars in bonds were issued. The debt service, or payment, that must be made to repay these bonds is approximately 63 million dollars per year. The OOCEA uses the tolls collected on the expressway system to make this payment and to maintain these roadways. This is the only source of funding available to repay these bonds. Look at improving Lake Underhill Road. Lake Underhill Road will be widened in the future to four lanes between Goldenrod Road and Alafaya Trail. 3 Page
The wetlands along the Econlockhatchee River need to be protected. The wetlands along the north side of the Econlockhatchee River, just west of Dean Road are several hundred feet wide. This road will impact a maximum of 120 feet of this wetland area, and still leave a buffer adjacent to the river that will vary between 100 and 500 feet in width. The potential impacts to this wetland area were reviewed with the St. John's River Water Management District who made it clear that Orange County will have to purchase wetlands for preservation in another area that will compensate for the loss of the impacted wetlands. In addition to the impacts to the wetlands, concerns have been raised in regards to the stormwater runoff from the new road. All stormwater runoff from the road will be collected and treated in stormwater retention ponds and will not discharge directly into the Econlockhatchee River. I like the bicycle lanes, sidewalks and low speed limits that are proposed. Orange County provides on-road bicycle lanes and sidewalks on new roadways when feasible. In addition, street lighting will also be provided on new roadways because of the concerns for the safety of children walking to school during the early morning hours. This road is intended to provide an alternative to University Boulevard and SR 50 for people living in this residentially developed area. Neighborhood representatives on the Project Advisory Team indicated the desire for this road to have more of a "neighborhood feel" mainly consisting of a slower speed limit. The typical speed limit for this type of road is 45 mph, but the proposed speed limit will be 30 to 35 mph. Do not allow u-turns at intersections because they are dangerous. This road is proposed to have a raised grass median that will have only have breaks at certain intervals. Limiting the number of median breaks provides for a safer road by reducing the number of "conflict points" for vehicles traveling in different directions. Because median breaks will not be provided at every road along the alignment, some vehicles will have to make u-turns to get to their destinations. This road is being designed so that u-turns can be made safely. If the County builds a wall along my neighborhood, will they also maintain it? The Board of County Commissioners has approved the construction of eight-foot high screen walls of specific locations along the roadway. These walls will be maintained by Orange County. 4 Page
I think that the same effort spent to beautify Orange Blossom Trail should be spent on this road. Orange County provides a low-maintenance landscaping package on new roadways. This consists of grass in the median and along the road and shrub and tree plantings in the median. This is what is planned for this roadway. Increase the buffer area between Pinewood Village and the new road. The buffer area, or the area between the back property line of the houses in Pinewood Village and the right of way for the new road, that was shown at the Public Workshop was between 50 and 65 feet. This buffer area has now been increased to 100 feet. Will this road decrease the value of my property? It is difficult to determine whether specific property values will increase or decrease when a new road is built. Increased noise levels and loss of trees may be perceived to cause the value of a piece of residential property to decrease, but a new road provides additional access and convenience which may increase the property's value. Look at another alternative between Goldenrod Road and Harrell Road that starts at Bates Road and swings down and runs along the river. An alignment that began at Bates Road, swung south to the river and then headed east along the river was evaluated. This alignment had significant environmental impacts and much higher construction costs than other alternatives that had the same residential impacts. This alternative was eliminated from further consideration. This road will increase noise and air pollution. Noise levels may increase through some parts of the study area because of this new road. The slower speed limit proposed for this road will help keep noise levels low. Vehicular speeds have the greatest effect on the amount of noise produced on a road. Air pollution throughout the project area should decrease overall because of improved traffic flow on the roadway network and less stop and go traffic. Vehicles that have to sit in traffic create more pollution and use more gas than vehicles that can get to their destinations in a shorter time. Limit 18 wheel trucks to the left lane on SR 50. SR 50 (Colonial Drive) is a State of Florida Department of Transportation roadway and is not controlled by Orange County. This comment was forwarded to the Florida Department of Transportation. 5 Page
Don't allow school buses to stop on SR 50 or University Boulevard. School buses are required to stop on major roadways because many of the side streets that they would have to drive on are not wide enough for them to turn around on. This comment was forwarded to a member of the Project Advisory Team who represents the Orange County Public Schools transportation services. LYNX buses need to have stops off of the road on SR 50 and University Boulevard. LYNX buses would have the same problems with not being able to turn around on residential streets as school buses. Construction of bus pull-outs on constrained roadways such as University Boulevard are cost prohibitive. The outside lane on six-lane roads acts like an auxiliary lane for making turns and for buses to stop. What is planned for the next phase of this roadway east of Dean Road? The East Orange County Transportation Needs Study (EOCTNS) identified the need for a new east-west roadway from SR 436 to North Tanner Road. Traffic projections showed that the segment of this new road between SR 436 and Dean Road would be needed sooner than the segment east of Dean Road. Therefore, Orange County began the East West Road RCA Study for the segment between SR 436 and Dean Road in 1999 and will conduct a similar RCA Study for the portion between Dean Road and North Tanner Road in the next several years. The second phase of this east west road east of Dean Road may potentially use portions of existing roads such as Buck Road or Research Parkway. However, all feasible alternatives will be considered when this RCA Study is conducted. This road will increase crime and violence because of accessibility. It is not possible to determine that crime and violence will increase because of a new roadway. Crime may decrease because vehicles that are currently cuttingthrough neighborhoods will have a new road and will not have to cut through neighborhoods anymore. This road should line-up with the road planned by the City of Orlando for the redevelopment of the Naval Training Center. The beginning point of this new road was influenced by the location of the proposed access road from the Naval Training Center redevelopment project. Currently, this access road is planned to intersect SR 436 near the entrance to the Auvers Village Apartments. The new East-West Road will begin opposite the planned connection point of the proposed access road. Representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation were on the Project Advisory Team and indicated that they support the East West Road beginning at this location. 6 Page
How will this road ease traffic with all the curves and intersections? This road will help traffic conditions in the area by providing an alternative to other roads that are over capacity. The alternatives that were presented at the second Public Workshop will be evaluated over the next several months to determine how they will work operationally. The convenience of having a straight road must be balanced with trying to minimize impacts to neighborhoods throughout the corridor. If my house is impacted by this road, the County will not pay me enough money for my house to be able to buy a similar house. If your house will be impacted by the proposed roadway improvement, you will be contacted by a representative of the County's Real Estate Management Division to let you know. An independent Real Estate Appraiser will be hired to appraise your house as if you were going to try to sell it prior to this project. By law, you will be offered the "fair market value" for your house. Fair market value is defined as "the amount of money which a purchaser willing, but not obligated, to buy the property would pay to an owner willing, but not obligated, to sell it, taking into consideration all uses for which the land is suited." If you do not accept this offer, you can hire an appraiser of your own, paid for by the County (with limitations on the reimbursement), who will determine the fair market value of your house. Please note that this appraiser will only be paid for by the County after the County has begun the process to acquire your home. The County will continue to negotiate with you to buy your house throughout this process. If no agreement can be made, your case will go to trial and a jury will determine the price that you will be paid for your house. How do I get more information? If you would like more information regarding this project, please contact one of the Orange County staff members listed on the Contact Page. 7 Page