Altamonte Springs looks for ways to ease major traffic congestion
From the front window of her jewelry store in Altamonte Springs, Dana Kazakeviciene has a clear view of the traffic congestion at the intersection of State Road 436 and Ronald Reagan Boulevard.
Cars and trucks line up throughout the day, waiting for the traffic lights to turn green or the railroad crossing arms on S.R. 436 to lift after a SunRail train has passed. With more than 50,000 vehicles a day, it is one of the busiest intersections in Central Florida.
All that traffic has hurt her business, Kazakeviciene said, because it makes it difficult for customers to access her shop from the eastbound lanes.
By the end of next year, the city of Altamonte Springs will build an additional left-turn lane on westbound S.R. 436 for drivers wanting to head north on Ronald Reagan Boulevard. Kazakeviciene is pleased.
“It will make it much easier for people to come to us,” she said while standing behind the glass counters at Jewelry, Watch & Repair on S.R. 436.
The new turn lane is one of several transportation projects Altamonte Springs plans to launch in the coming years to
make it easier for people to get around — either by car, bike or foot — in one the most heavily congested areas of Central Florida.
Besides the new turn lane, other projects include:
Adding bicycle lanes to Montgomery Road between S.R. 436 and State Road 434 in September, making it easier for bicyclists to access the Seminole Wekiva recreational trail, which crosses Montgomery.
Building a tunnel underneath S.R. 436 near Essex Avenue to help pedestrians and bicyclists reach Altamonte Mall without crossing nine lanes of the busy highway. Construction on the $4 million project is expected to start next year.
Constructing a 3½-mile pedestrian trail that will stretch across the city north of S.R. 436 from the Seminole Wekiva Trail to the Altamonte Springs SunRail station on Ronald Reagan Boulevard. That trail will allow bicyclists and pedestrians to travel to Altamonte Mall, Florida Hospital and Crane’s Roost Park. The project is still in the planning stages.
In 2016, Altamonte Springs kicked off a program — later joined by four other cities — that picked up part of the cost for Uber riders who are traveling within the municipality. The program was aimed to make it easier for residents to travel to the SunRail station and other spots within the city.
“Our focus is on improving multi-modal transportation,” Mayor Pat Bates said Thursday. “Our citizens want good transportation options, so it’s very important to our citizens, our city and our future to think ahead and to hopefully solve some of the congestion issues. That’s what I appreciate about our city staff, they think outside of the box. I think we’re going in the right direction.”
John Lucyk, a retired teacher and Longwood resident who travels frequently through Altamonte Springs, applauded the city for looking for ways to ease traffic congestion and make it easier for residents to get around.
But the reason for all the traffic, Lucyk, 70, pointed out, is all the commercial growth, especially surrounding the popular Altamonte Mall on S.R. 436 near Palm Springs Drive.
“It’s inevitable that you’re going to have all this traffic,” he said while standing outside the Safeway Supermarket on S.R. 436. “But it’s really not that bad depending on the time of day, and if it’s not rush hour.”
City Manager Frank Martz said Altamonte Springs’ tax base has benefited from the large amount of commercial growth, especially near Altamonte Mall and Florida Hospital on S.R. 436, just east of Palm Springs Drive. But he agrees the growth has brought traffic headaches for motorists in the city with nearly 43,000 residents.
“It’s the upside and downside of urban growth,” Martz said. “So we’re doing our best to present as many mobility options to our residents as possible.”