Last portion of sidewalk complete in Orlando Walks project

ORLANDO, Fla. — Workers in Orlando poured the last portion of concrete into a sidewalk project Friday.

The $2 million "Orlando Walks" project added more than 17 miles of sidewalks through 32 neighborhoods.

The sidewalks were built in areas with schools, community centers and highly populated areas with the elderly.

The project was funded with federal dollars.

For local resident Liz Mare Cordero and her grandmother, trips to the grocery store are never easy.

In Spanish, Cordero's grandmother described to us how they were almost hit a year ago when they were just walking along the curb.

"We were walking and then he came from behind and he said, 'Sorry,'" Cordero said.

Last month, some residents contacted WFTV because they weren't happy about the city tearing up front yards for the new walkways.

"We're not putting sidewalks on anyone's private property; we're putting all the sidewalks in the public right of way, which is intended for whether you're a vehicle or a pedestrian," said project manager Jeff Arms.

Another determining factor is whether one side of the street has a sidewalk.

If it is considered a major street for a development, the city said it wanted to make sure at least one side of the street had a place for people to walk.

To put into perspective how much sidewalk the city has installed over the last year and a half, if you were to lay it next to S.R. 408 it would stretch from Semoran Boulevard all the way to the end of the toll road where it meets the turnpike.

The city plans to start the second phase of the Orlando walks project in the fall.

"Pero, esto es beautiful," resident Carmen Davida said.

The city wants to hear from neighborhoods in need of walkways.

The contact information is at wftv.com under weblinks, so send in suggestions.

WFTV