Road widening work to begin on major section of Walt Disney World property

surfsupdon

Well-Known Member
Nice to see--there is usually lots of congestion there.

Hopefully they will keep the sidewalk present after the roads have been widened!! It's an easy jaunt linking the Epcot Deluxes with Caribbean Beach and adds easy miles to a running regime, and changes up the views.

There is a crosswalk to cross at the intersection, just so we all know.;)
 

jt04

Well-Known Member
Well, it would be easy to assume that this is the continued reconfiguration for guest parking at DHS and could have implictions beyond the necessary widening project. Expansion of the Studios perhaps? :)
 

Pioneer Hall

Well-Known Member
I thought I heard the plan was to at some point route all traffic to the main studios parking lot entrance. It seems that entrance is never used and the Buena Vista entrance wasn't made to handle the traffic that it gets (with only one parking toll booth).
 

wdwmagic

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Original Poster
I thought I heard the plan was to at some point route all traffic to the main studios parking lot entrance. It seems that entrance is never used and the Buena Vista entrance wasn't made to handle the traffic that it gets (with only one parking toll booth).

I think there is definitely a mis-match of traffic using the second entrance VS the primary. The problem really goes back to the design of the park, with the main entrance not really serving the majority of the resorts and traffic heading to the Studios.

It will be interesting to see how it all shapes out, and if this is indeed just a first step to a larger reconfig.
 

psherman42

Well-Known Member
I thought I heard the plan was to at some point route all traffic to the main studios parking lot entrance. It seems that entrance is never used and the Buena Vista entrance wasn't made to handle the traffic that it gets (with only one parking toll booth).

I've always wondered why that entrance isn't used. I worked at Studios on my CP and my roommate gave me a ride to work one day and we went that way and no one was back there. It would make sense to direct traffic that way since the Buena Vista entrance can get very backed up at times.
 

wdwmagic

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Original Poster
Well, it would be easy to assume that this is the continued reconfiguration for guest parking at DHS and could have implictions beyond the necessary widening project. Expansion of the Studios perhaps? :)

Now that would be nice, but I would't count on it yet. I think the 2000 rooms opening just down the road are causing some traffic concerns.
 

Pioneer Hall

Well-Known Member
I think there is definitely a mis-match of traffic using the second entrance VS the primary. The problem really goes back to the design of the park, with the main entrance not really serving the majority of the resorts and traffic heading to the Studios.

It will be interesting to see how it all shapes out, and if this is indeed just a first step to a larger reconfig.

I feel that when that traffic pattern was configured in the 80s, they didn't expect so much traffic to be coming from Buena Vista. The way the area has evolved, now they pretty much direct you that way for most everything. I can't really think of anytime that you are directed to the main entrance of the Studios unless you are coming from I-4. It might cost guests a few minutes, but I think it is time to simply switch some signs around and change the traffic pattern. Keep the Buena Vista entrance for just buses.
 

wdwmagic

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Original Poster
I feel that when that traffic pattern was configured in the 80s, they didn't expect so much traffic to be coming from Buena Vista. The way the area has evolved, now they pretty much direct you that way for most everything. I can't really think of anytime that you are directed to the main entrance of the Studios unless you are coming from I-4. It might cost guests a few minutes, but I think it is time to simply switch some signs around and change the traffic pattern. Keep the Buena Vista entrance for just buses.

I've never really looked at how easy it would be to actually funnel all the traffic to the main entrance from the non-I4 side. Is it achievable without causing traffic issues on the redirect?
 

Pioneer Hall

Well-Known Member
I've never really looked at how easy it would be to actually funnel all the traffic to the main entrance from the non-I4 side. Is it achievable without causing traffic issues on the redirect?

Honestly, without knowing specifics, I can't really tell. I would think that you could reroute the AK/WWoS area traffic that way without much of an issue. That might help with some of the congestion. It just seems like there has to be a better way than what they are doing now. There is a really nice entrance/marquee with 7 or 8 "toll" booths there, and they barely get used. The 2 people working at the Buena Vista entrance see so much of the traffic and during peak time in the AM they can't keep up. I've waited on that line for 15 minutes last month (during a Jan slow time) when I arrived at around opening. I didn't even have to pay for parking, but I had to sit in the line since there were just too many people.
 

maxairmike

Well-Known Member
Not really. Guests would have to go all the way out to I-4/192 from inside the property as the roads stand now. They could reconfigure the Osceola Parkway exit to World Drive to allow the majority of traffic flow that way, but then you end up taking everyone down either World Drive or Victory Way, which would require other various traffic changes besides just reconfiguring the Osceola exit. Either way (improving BVD entrance to handle the traffic, re-routing the Osceola exit, or creating a new entrance off Victory Way) major traffic changes/improvements will be needed.

Also, after looking at what would be required for south-bound traffic on World Drive and east-bound on Buena Vista, those also present issues. The Buena Vista entrance is really a necessity due to how the roads are configured and how the resort has grown.
 

joanna71985

Well-Known Member
I feel that when that traffic pattern was configured in the 80s, they didn't expect so much traffic to be coming from Buena Vista. The way the area has evolved, now they pretty much direct you that way for most everything. I can't really think of anytime that you are directed to the main entrance of the Studios unless you are coming from I-4. It might cost guests a few minutes, but I think it is time to simply switch some signs around and change the traffic pattern. Keep the Buena Vista entrance for just buses.

I hope not! I only use that entrance (it's too much of a hassle to use the other one for me).
 

Rasvar

Well-Known Member
You would have to make a new flyover from the south bound World Drive and Osceola Pkway to get to the main entrance. When they reconfigured the World Drive/US-192 interchange with a combined Osceola Pkway, I thought it was horrible traffic engineering. Canal 402 severely limits what can be done on the backside of the parking lot. One thing I hope they do is eventually turn all of the existing lanes at Buena Vista to be exit. Add two more entrances lane just west of where they are now and then expand the bus lines more to the right and throw in an extra toll booth. I wish there was a way to separate bus traffic but that seems impossible in the land constraints. Since they are expanding Buena Vista, it seems unlikely they will build a secondary exit to Victory Way over the Canal. I suspect the wetlands there are the big problem.
 

Slowjack

Well-Known Member
You would have to make a new flyover from the south bound World Drive and Osceola Pkway to get to the main entrance. When they reconfigured the World Drive/US-192 interchange with a combined Osceola Pkway, I thought it was horrible traffic engineering.
Yeah, it was strange when I first realized you couldn't get from Osceola to the front entrance road.

Still, I think this situation typifies the strangeness that is our DHS. I mean, you've got on entrance you can hardly appreciate because you approach it obliquely, the car show where you've got to walk all the way around it to get to your seat, etc. I really like the Studios, but boy, I bet they'd give anything to be able to start over with the layout.
 

Wisconsin

Active Member
Can anyone post a photo of the "main" DHS entrance? I'm sure we've always used the single lane Buena Vista entrance! Didn't even know there was another way in!
 

JungleTrekFan

Active Member
Reconfiguring the entrances would cost Disney money, widening BVD does not. BVD is owned and maintained by RCID.

I’ve always been a little unsure what drew the line between what is Disney and what is RCID. Is RCID really its own government? Who pays for public works projects? RCID residents, if there are any?

Now back from my little thread derailment, As an engineering major (specializing in transportation engineering) I find Hollywood studios to be a night mare for road traffic. The boats and nice sidewalk to the Boardwalk are great but Hollywood Studios is the only park that does not have a single main entrance that leads out onto a, or in Epcot’s case two, major roads, without traffic lights. Which makes post New Years Eve countdown traffic unbearable at HS. The exit road should not lead to a light. This past year they at least made everyone exiting HS go right and turn right on Victory Way, then finally using Osceola parkway which never has traffic on it.

They really need to rework Osceola to lead to the main entrance. Then the other entrance be just busses and "authorized vehicles” like Animal Kingdoms bus and cast entrance. And there need to be a major exit that leads directly to Osceola parkway.

But I’m glad they learned there lesson from the lack of looking to the future with HS and developed AK in a way that works so well and is able to not have traffic issues and the park itself can actually expand when they want to.
 

JungleTrekFan

Active Member
Can anyone post a photo of the "main" DHS entrance? I'm sure we've always used the single lane Buena Vista entrance! Didn't even know there was another way in!

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