Orange County looking into $30M pedestrian bridge to make tourist corridor intersection safer

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County leaders are trying to make things safer for drivers and pedestrians at a busy intersection in the heart of the tourist corridor.

The county is looking at adding a pedestrian overpass to improve safety at the intersection of Sand Lake Road and International Drive.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

Pedestrians agree this intersection needs improvement.

“Crossing that road was scary. Very,” said AImee Ali, who is visiting Orlando.

In the last five years, MetroPlan Orlando data shows the intersection has seen 295 crashes, four involving pedestrians.

Read: I-Drive leaders, Orange County reach agreement on design for $30 mil pedestrian bridge

For years, the county has been studying how to improve safety at the busy crossing and the $30 million bridge concept is now the leading contender.

“What we’re going to do is create this bridge, it will touch down on all four corners of the intersection,” said Blanche Hardy, the project manager for the transportation planning division.

Read: Woman dies in accidental shooting on I-Drive, Orange County deputies say

The county says it will be ADA-accessible and will have barriers to prevent crossing at the street level.

The concept is still in the study phase but the county believes it will minimize pedestrians and bikes getting interlaced with traffic, and will ultimately bring down crash numbers.

Read: Man arrested, accused of shooting teen girl at I-Drive Sonic

A community meeting will be held on Aug. 2 to discuss the concept. It will then take a year or two before the project can head to commissioners for their stamp of approval.

You can see renderings of the proposed bridge here.

See: Orange County looking into $30M pedestrian bridge to make tourist corridor intersection safer

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 8

Orange County pedestrian bridge renderings The county is looking at adding a pedestrian overpass to improve safety at the intersection of Sand Lake Road and International Drive. (Orange County)

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2023 Cox Media Group