Orange County officials

want to study the idea of streetcars as a solution to the traffic-clogged I-Drive problem known to tourists and locals alike.

Orange County officials want to study a new idea as they deal with clogged traffic and hard-to-find parking spaces on International Drive.

Could streetcars, similar to the ones operating in Seattle and Portland, be a solution?

This fall, Orange County expects to hire a consultant to study ways to develop a transit system and whether streetcars could work.

The study will focus on about 2½ miles of I-Drive from Sand Lake Road to State Road 528, though Orange County Planner Alberto Vargas said he could see the system possibly connecting someday with downtown Orlando and Orlando International Airport.

The estimated cost to construct a streetcar system is $50 million to $70 million per mile, he estimated. Any project must be approved by the Orange County Commission and a funding source must be determined, he said.

A capital project of that magnitude would likely take several years to design and build, Vargas added.

“It’s such a relief from a pedestrian perspective not having to depend on the automobile or worrying where to park,” he said as officials fight to alleviate traffic congestion and offer more public transit options.

For years, officials and property owners who have a stake in I-Drive’s future plans have studied and analyzed the area.

“Everything grinds to a halt because everybody is driving,” said Josh Wallack, an Orlando developer for the planned Skyplex Orlando entertainment complex. “When you want to grow infinitely, your infrastructure has to grow along with you.”

But he warned that with the streetcar proposal, there is “no silver bullet” to improving traffic. The solution needs to include other transit options to encourage bikes and walking, he said.

A trolley operating on IDrive is at maximum capacity, carrying about 2 million passengers annually, Vargas said.

A streetcar could operate at a higher frequency while carrying more people per trip, he said, in an area that is near the Orlando Eye and undeveloped

COURTESY OF PORTLAND STREETCAR Orange County wants to study the feasibility of streetcars on a stretch of International Drive that could look like these in Portland.