January 10, 2008
METROPLAN ORLANDO Sharpens Transportation Vision
METROPLAN ORLANDO recently began working on a new long range transportation plan for Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. The 19-member board took a first big step by identifying a transportation vision for the year 2030, the target date for the long range transportation plan. The METROPLAN ORLANDO Board adopted this Regional Transportation Vision:
“A system that safely and efficiently moves people and goods by a variety of transportation options to support the region’s desire to preserve natural lands, create community centers, conserve energy and maintain a strong economy.”
In creating this transportation vision, METROPLAN ORLANDO was guided by the key principles of providing a variety of transportation options and preserving open space that came out of How Shall We Grow?.
Making this vision a reality requires bold thinking and the courage to take action. The METROPLAN ORLANDO Board took just such an action in December when it identified the next rail transit project in Central Florida as an east-west rail line from the International Drive/Orange County Convention Center Intermodal Center east to the area known generally as Innovation Way/Medical City. The transit line will serve several key activity centers in the region, including the Sand Lake Road commuter rail station and the Orlando International Airport.
"This new connection will enhance our ability to move people from the airport to the convention center,” said Commissioner Linda Stewart, former chairperson of METROPLAN ORLANDO. “An east-west addition to the north-south commuter rail line will also be the next step in creating a connected transit system for Central Florida.”
The north-south Central Florida Commuter Rail project from DeLand in Volusia County to Poinciana in Osceola County remains the region’s top rail transit priority and is to be the first element of the larger regional rail system. The first step toward realizing that larger system began with the board’s vote, which signaled the start of transportation studies related to alignment and environmental impacts.
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