Disney road paves way to skip I-4, enter park

[basas]

Well should help slightly anyways. Opening up the new lanes on I4 will help too.

 

[dflye]

I saw that they donated 200 acres. Who got the land, the state? And lastly (sort of a dumb question) how many acres are in a mile?

Well, since you probably meant square mile, there are 640 acres to a square mile. So they gave away a little less than 1/3 of a square mile.

Depending upon the width of the highway easement (and any associated interchanges) there is a wide range of distance this grant would cover in miles travelled when driving on the new road, but I wouldn't think it would stretch too far.

A 200' easement would go for about 7 miles, but if you start throwing acreage at interchanges, all bets are off, as that would chew up real estate very quickly.

 

[CapnStinxy]

The interchange is not built with tax dollars, per se. Tolls technically fund the entire project (but until they stop building new toll roads in Central Florida, there is no chance they'll ever reduce or eliminate tolls)

The state has a limited bonding capacity. Since toll roads, under the aegis of the dream-of-privitzation "Florida's Turnpike Enterprise" are the wave of the future for Florida, there is a public benefit consideration, if not a specific "taxpayer" concern.

Although it appears that the exit is built exclusively for Disney, that will NOT be the case in the next 10-20 years. One of the nation's most ambitious master-planned communities, Horizon West, is already taking shape in that area. Realizing that all those frost-bitten orange groves were destined for urban sprawl, planners implemented strict development guidelines for the area. The vacant land off the new 429 tollway will soon become one of the most populated areas of Central Florida, but hopefully without the wasteland of strip malls and asphalt and subdivisions found elsewhere in the area.

Well, I can say after 20 years of living in Florida, and working for a county planning agency for three of those years, I've developed a corrosive cynicism about the pledges of developers viz. sprawl and the sturdiness of the planning process. Perhaps Orange County guards its quality of life more jealously, but I find that the big developers can generally beat on the counties and DCA long enough to get more-or-less what they want.

Check out this website for more info:

http://www.terrain.org/unsprawl/14/

Now this is comedy:
"Villages include two to four neighborhoods, oriented around community schools and parks that are no more than one half-mile walking distance from the neighborhoods."

Spoken like someone who's never walked anywhere in Florida in the summer.

"Housing will surround these community resources at an overall minimum density of five dwellings per net acre, creating an urban, pedestrian-oriented environment."

Well, I live in a town where the gross single-family density is six units per acre, and it's anything but urban.

I guess I've drifted pretty far off topic, then.

 

[theRIOT]

I have to say its about time they get this going. When I was going through traditions my faciliator was telling me about this project.

It makes perfect sense. As of right now 429 at it's northern most point splits off of 441 or the Orange Blossom Trail to those from the area with access from the turnpike.

For now it dead ends into S.R. 535 which takes you right to the back door of Disney property and is how I drove to work every day from Mt. Dora an hour away. Never any traffic, but I guess that will all change now.
But much better because I-4 should be avoided at all costs (its horrible)

Man, I miss being a Cast Member. Oh well I'll be back in December WOO HOO.

irv out.

 

[degunter]

New Access from Tampa???

I wouldn't think it would effect airport traffic at all. The airport is to the east of Disney, and this access road is on the west. It would make for faster access if you are coming from Tampa (I-4 eastbound to 429 northbound), or if you were coming from the northwest (Florida's Turnpike southbound to 429 southbound). But I can't imagine any route to or from OIA that would make use of this new access road.

I live in Tampa and from the looks of the proposed routing of the new Toll Road, I for one will never use it. Coming in from Tampa on I-4 right now there are no Tolls to get to Disney, so that is the first factor of my decision. Beyond that, the new Toll road from I-4 will actually head back to the West for some distance, cross over 192 behind the Publix (which is past most of the major development areas. i.e. Splendid China. On top of that, once you do get off the Toll Road and onto the new Reedy Creek Road, you will have to head back South to connect to Buena Vista Drive. So in the end it will cost more in tolls, gas, and time to access the new road from Tampa. I think it will mostly benefit those folks coming from the North on Florida's Turnpike.

I wonder though if they will ever make a connection from the new Reedy Creek Road to the Epcot Drive Road.... that would be really good for access. Also, I read somewhere that the new Reedy Creek Road includes the construction of an 1800 foot long bridge over Reedy Creek and that by Disney donating the land and up to $15 million for the State Project (on top of the $30 million for the Reedy Creek Private Road) it can be assumed that Disney essentially paid for the interchange to their new road.

Does that make sense????