By Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore
Do I need to tell you that northwest Orange County is and will be facing significant transportation mobility challenges in the coming years? Probably not; you are stuck in traffic daily. Demand for roadways is exceeding the capacity of existing facilities.
Recognizing the importance of a transportation system that can support future growth while preserving our communities' character is a must. A few years ago, I kept hearing comments at the Apopka City Council meetings that all of Apopka’s transportation problems were the county’s fault. Of course, I didn’t like hearing this, nor did I believe it to be true.
Thus, I sent top staff to meet with the city staff to hammer out an agreement to fix our roads with the City of Apopka. Compounding the ability to negotiate effectively by either party is the lack of dedicated transportation funding sources. Thus, it was probably easier to blame the other than to solve the problem with limited resources available.
I was not happy with the outcome of the joint meeting. Thus, after the fact, I advocated for the county to pick up 100% of the cost of a transportation study. I’m happy to say after significant advocacy, scoping the project, and a lengthy procurement process to hire a vendor, the Orange County Government has hired VHB, Inc. They will conduct a thorough, areawide long-range transportation study. The study is the first step to determine needs and assess which entity is responsible for costs. Please be aware we will still be searching for various sources of funding to complete any recommended projects.
The planning process will include a significant public involvement plan which will inform and involve the citizens of the county and city. Appropriate state and local agencies, elected officials, and all community stakeholders will be invited to participate. The agency will conduct up to 10 small group meetings with interested organizations. My office will provide an initial list of potential attendees and participants. We will also notify the public of these meetings.
The consultant will also prepare and distribute five editions of project newsletters. These newsletters will be prepared in English and Spanish. They will also create an internet website for the transportation study. The final documents and plans will be presented for approval to the full Board of County Commissioners at a public hearing. Public hearings also allow for input from community residents.
The deliverables are quite technical, so I won’t report on these characteristics. Nevertheless, the analysis of future traffic conditions will provide “no-build scenarios” and “build scenarios,” which include all available cost-feasible roadway improvement projects. It will also recommend any transit improvements, such as bus service expansion and more transit-friendly development. The study will recommend new roadways or roadway extensions, roadway widening, parallel facilities, and potential realignments.
Based on the assessment of future conditions among the different scenarios, the consultant will identify capacity problems, deficiencies, and issues to determine the transportation-related changes and needs within the study area. Lastly, the consultant will develop a methodology to determine the roles and responsibilities of jurisdictions for future infrastructure capacity improvements for all roadway segments and intersections within the study area.
I’m happy this process has finally begun. I hope you will join me at one of the facilitated community meetings.
