World Drive Phase-III

[disneyC97]

Interesting. So you think it's more Upstate NY?

The main commercial strip in Saratoga reminds me of the Florida Main Street a bit but I think many a northeastern town had/has similar architecture.

 

[Bullseye1967]

Isn't the 1970s look Magic Castle Hotel and Suites still open in Kissimmee? I think low income, section 8, the occasional budget minded tourist, etc were staying there, $38 per night . I think the Willem Dafoe movie " The Florida Project " was filmed around there to show the dark side of what is right near WDW and Celebration.

Yes it is still there and open.

 

[TrippedUp]

I hear ya!
SO, can you esplain this to me, Lucy...
Why are they (rumored to be) doing something North of the Grand Flo? Is the demand, right idea, and timing all of the sudden, perfect for this location????
Cause they aint getting a do over here, either!

All we know is that they're moving a road. They dont have to build there just yet. This could be 30 years out and it still makes sense to have the infrastructure in place as part of the current RCID work.

Unless you're talking about a DVC tower in the luau spot, because that makes a whole lot more sense in the short term.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

The main commercial strip in Saratoga reminds me of the Florida Main Street a bit but I think many a northeastern town had/has similar architecture.

Speaking as someone who has lived in the northeast her entire life...it looks very southern/midwestern to me.

 

[SteveAZee]

All we know is that they're moving a road. They dont have to build there just yet. This could be 30 years out and it still makes sense to have the infrastructure in place as part of the current RCID work.

Unless you're talking about a DVC tower in the luau spot, because that makes a whole lot more sense in the short term.

I suppose that's true if they need to improve the capacity of that road in the near term so might as well move it to a strategically better location, otherwise why spend the money now?

Do they need to add capacity to that road?

 

[Master Yoda]

I suppose that's true if they need to improve the capacity of that road in the near term so might as well move it to a strategically better location, otherwise why spend the money now?

Do they need to add capacity to that road?

A few CMs I know would say yes. It is a pretty well-traveled road for CM's.

 

[WDWBigEd]

I suppose that's true if they need to improve the capacity of that road in the near term so might as well move it to a strategically better location, otherwise why spend the money now?

Do they need to add capacity to that road?

Yes this road needed to be bigger long ago.

It's going to be a long project and a hassle for those who have to travel down it while they are working on it.
expanding to 4 lanes. They are getting rid of the cross walk from the golf course to the Polynesian resort. When you come out of the Shades of Green / Golf area you have to turn right and head to the roundabout to go back to the Grand Floridian. In the long run its supposed to help with traffic and make it so there are less roads closed during the Run Disney events.

 

[Samkidd666]

I thought everyone knew about the new Grand Floridian Tower. Word around the campfire is that construction will start in November of 2022, after a year of the 50th celebration and after the road reroute is complete. 12 floors but only 11 rooms per floor. Also supposed to have the property’s best view of nighttime fireworks from an ultra swanky Lounge and paid viewing area.
also rumored to have direct access to MK.

 

[castlecake2.0]

I thought everyone knew about the new Grand Floridian Tower. Word around the campfire is that construction will start in November of 2022, after a year of the 50th celebration and after the road reroute is complete. 12 floors but only 11 rooms per floor. Also supposed to have the property’s best view of nighttime fireworks from an ultra swanky Lounge and paid viewing area.
also rumored to have direct access to MK.

So far everything seems to be pointing to a new resort and not a GF expansion

 

[King Panda 77]

I thought everyone knew about the new Grand Floridian Tower. Word around the campfire is that construction will start in November of 2022, after a year of the 50th celebration and after the road reroute is complete. 12 floors but only 11 rooms per floor. Also supposed to have the property’s best view of nighttime fireworks from an ultra swanky Lounge and paid viewing area.
also rumored to have direct access to MK.

 

[biggy H]

They can’t handle high volume and make the feeders problematic.

I happened to do a lot of transportation work since my time in the swamp and have heard the “theory of circles” discussed up one side and down the other

Some countries have had them for nearly 100 years and still use them so they do work, just don't put one on a high speed road. They are much better than a 4 way stop.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Some countries have had them for nearly 100 years and still use them so they do work, just don't put one on a high speed road. They are much better than a 4 way stop.

We're still adding them up here in the northeast, although I'll be the first to admit that some are too small for their location and the speed of the roads feeding them.

We call them a "rotary" here.

 

[Cesar R M]

Clearly, the theme of the resort will be Hammond, Indiana in the late 1950s, early 1960s and dedicate to Bob Chapek's birth and early years.

Will it include a popcorn machine, a hotdog stand, multiple paid machines in each hallway?
You will also have to use your credit card to use the elevators?
And then you will have to pay the "deluxe package" to get Soap and pillows?

Truly the Chapek's experience!

 

[MaryJaneP]

Imagine if they went nuts with an indiana jones themed land with hotel...so many possibilities

Have to consider planning ahead here so permit for road construction may only be step one of a 5 or 10 year plan. Since IP incorporation is now so prevalent and Harrison Ford is slated to star in the next Indiana Jones sequel, this may not be so outlandish. It could also be for an MK expansion. They need a new land and space is the one thing WDW has a plethora of.

 

[SteveAZee]

Some countries have had them for nearly 100 years and still use them so they do work, just don't put one on a high speed road. They are much better than a 4 way stop.

A number of newer, suburban roads in Oregon (where I am) have been including traffic circles lately. 25-40 MPH roads. I haven't heard a thing about problems or issues with them. I use them often without driving off a cliff or getting sideswiped... so far.

 

[pdude81]

A number of newer, suburban roads in Oregon (where I am) have been including traffic circles lately. 25-40 MPH roads. I haven't heard a thing about problems or issues with them. I use them often without driving off a cliff or getting sideswiped... so far.

I'm not sure suburban Oregon has a high percentage of Uber drivers and tourists in rental cars trying to understand what that round thing is coming up in their phone.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I'm not sure suburban Oregon has a high percentage of Uber drivers and tourists in rental cars trying to understand what that round thing is coming up in their phone.

Cape Cod does.

 

[SteveAZee]

I'm not sure suburban Oregon has a high percentage of Uber drivers and tourists in rental cars trying to understand what that round thing is coming up in their phone.

There are Uber drivers (who should generally know the roads they work on) here. That's true about tourists, though... most of ours are in Portland, on the coast, or in the mountains, not cruising through the 'burbs. So, if you see someone safely navigating a traffic circle at WDW, you can probably assume the driver is an Oregonian.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Imagine if they went nuts with an indiana jones themed land with hotel...so many possibilities

Wha?

 

[Twirlnhurl]

We're still adding them up here in the northeast, although I'll be the first to admit that some are too small for their location and the speed of the roads feeding them.

We call them a "rotary" here.

The smaller size and lower speed of a modern roundabout is a feature, not a bug. By making a smaller diameter circular roadway with superelevation (banking) against the direction of the curve, drivers naturally are inclined to drive much slower through the conflict points, dramatically reducing the risk of injuries and increasing the volume of cars that can safely enter the intersection. In fact, roundabouts can reduce the odds of crashes by substantial fractions, with some studies showing reductions in the realm of 80%.

There is a difference between a rotary and a roundabout. The first modern roundabout was not built in the United States until the mid-1990s (with the exception of a single intersection built in rural New Jersey in the 1930s that nobody realized had all the characteristics of a roundabout until that time). Roundabouts were developed in Europe in the 1960s as a safer, more efficient version of a rotary. See this link for more on the differences between the two.

Of course, unfamiliar drivers do have problems in roundabouts, but they also have problems in traffic signals, highway exit ramps, and all other types of roads. But the failure mode of roundabouts is a minor low-speed nonfatal fender bender, not a high-speed 90 degree collision. In places where volumes and geometries are appropriate, roundabouts are a superior technology, and I think they will work well here.