HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #05 Approval of Proposed Resolution Supporting the Extension of Old Winter Garden Road, Modification of the Turnpike Interchange on SR 50 and Related Highway Construction Projects ocoee
florida
AGENDA ITEM COVER SHEET
Meeting Date: August 2, 2016
Item # �p
Reviewed By:
Contact Name: Al B ices Support Department Director: 0"/
Contact Number: 407-554-7063 City Manager: / /Z
Subject: Proposed resolution supporting the extension of Old Winter Garden Road, modification
of the Turnpike Interchange on SR 50, and related highway construction projects.
Background Summary:
Traffic congestion on SR 50 (West Colonial Drive) has been a regional concern for many years.
Although construction to widen SR 50 through Ocoee is presently underway, this effort will do little
to address local circulation needs. One approach supported by the city to provide comprehensive
congestion relief is to construct parallel local streets that will handle short-distance travel, thereby
removing this traffic from SR 50. In particular, the city is currently working with local developers
and on its own to construct the multiple elements of a northern parallel traffic pathway using
Blackwood Avenue, Maine Street, Maguire Road, and Marshall Farms Road. The extension of Old
Winter Garden Road west from its current terminus at Maguire Road would provide a southern
parallel pathway between Blackwood Avenue and Marshall Farms Road. (This extension is part of
the city's adopted CRA plan.) These alternatives/supplements to SR 50 construction were
examined by the Florida DOT and its consultants, who found them to be a sound approach to
providing a significant portion of an overall solution to SR 50 traffic problems.
Another element of a complete solution is reconstruction of the Turnpike Interchange on SR 50
near the western city limit of Ocoee. This is one of the original Turnpike interchanges and was
constructed when this portion of SR 50 was a low-volume rural road. Any extension of Old Winter
Garden Road to Marshall Farms Road is likely to exacerbate the traffic circulation issues present at
the Turnpike interchange. Of particular concern is the free-flow exit ramp for eastbound Turnpike
traffic that crosses Marshall Farms Road where it intersects SR 50.
Adding to the call for reconstruction of the Turnpike Interchange on SR 50 is the high volume of
traffic using local streets to reach this interchange. Much of this traffic originates from residential
areas south of SR 50 in Windermere and Winter Garden. As much as one-fourth of the traffic on
SR 50 involves travel to and from the Turnpike interchange.
A resolution has been drafted for adoption by the Cities of Ocoee and Winter Garden and the Town
of Windermere calling for greater coordination between these jurisdictions, MetroPlan Orlando,
other local governments, and the Florida DOT to develop an effective design and allocate the
necessary funds to implement that solution. Such a design effort should consider the extension of
1
Old Winter Garden Road west from its current terminus at Maguire Road, with appropriate
connections to SR 50 and the Turnpike interchange, and construction of a connection from Tomyn
Boulevard to the Turnpike interchange.
Issue:
Should the City Commission adopt a resolution supporting the extension of Old Winter Garden
Road and construction of related highway improvements?
Recommendations:
Staff recommends that the City Commission adopt the proposed resolution. No one entity can
solve the SR 50 traffic problems in Ocoee. Only a cooperative effort by all the interested agencies
can have a chance of success. City staff and elected officials have met with MetroPlan Orlando
staff, elected officials from other local governments, and representatives of involved transportation
agencies to discuss the need for a comprehensive solution. Adopting the attached resolution is
part of the process of building support for the project.
Attachment: Proposed resolution.
Financial Impact:
There is no direct financial impact on the city by adopting this resolution. Any design and project
funding proposal that is subsequently developed will be separately presented to the City
Commission for action in the future.
Type of Item: (please mark with an "x")
Public Hearing For Clerk's Dept Use:
Ordinance First Reading K Copsent Agenda
Ordinance Second Reading Public Hearing
X Resolution Regular Agenda
X Commission Approval
Discussion&Direction
X Original Document/Contract Attached for Execution by City Clerk
Reviewed by City Attorney N/A
Reviewed by Finance Dept. N/A
2
RESOLUTION NO. 2016-_
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
OCOEE, FLORIDA RELATING TO SAFE AND EFFICIENT
TRANSPORTATION FOR WEST ORANGE COUNTY; THE
NEED FOR IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TURNPIKE
INTERCHANGE ON SR 50; CONSTRUCTION OF AN
EXTENSION OF OLD WINTER GARDEN ROAD;
CONSTRUCTION OF A CONNECTION BETWEEN TOMYN
BOULEVARD AND THE TURNPIKE; COORDINATION OF
EFFORTS WITH METROPLAN ORLANDO, THE FLORIDA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, AND OTHER UNITS
OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT; AND PROVIDING AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF OCOEE, FLORIDA:
SECTIONI. AUTHORITY. This Resolution is adopted pursuant to the provisions of the
City of Ocoee Home Rule Charter; Article VIII, Section 2 of the Florida Constitution; Section
166.041, Florida Statutes; and other applicable provisions of law.
SECTION 2. PURPOSE.
(A) This Resolution authorizes the Mayor and City Manager to support efforts to
improve the safety and efficiency of transportation in West Orange County, particularly with
regard to access to Florida's Turnpike, SR 429, other limited-access highways, and connecting
arterial roads.
SECTION 3. LEGISLATIVE DETERMINATIONS. It is hereby ascertained and declared
that the existing transportation network of West Orange County continues to suffer from poor
access to major highways, particularly in the area where Florida's Turnpike, SR 429, and SR 50
intersect, and that the Florida Department of Transportation, through and by MetroPlan Orlando,
should be encouraged to design and implement changes to the transportation system so as to
provide adequate access to these facilities.
BE IT HEREBY DETERMINED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
OCOEE, FLORIDA THAT:
(A) Access to Florida's Turnpike is restricted by the obsolete design and operation of
the access interchange on SR 50 near the western city limits of Ocoee. This is one of the very
few original Turnpike interchanges constructed more than 50 years ago—a time when the
development patterns and transportation needs of West Orange County were very different.
(B) The limited-access highways described above are all under the jurisdiction of the
Florida Department of Transportation and are eligible for federal-aid to highways and state
transportation funding. Transportation project funding is allocated through a Five-year Work
Program process that recognizes a sequence of planning, design, and construction phases.
(C) MetroPlan Orlando is the designated metropolitan planning organization that
provides guidance on project needs and priorities to the Florida Department of Transportation
on the expenditure of federal-aid funding for West Orange County and has organized itself so as
to represent the transportation needs of all citizens in its service area. A highway capacity
project, such as the reconstruction of a highway interchange, must be included in the list of
Transportation Improvement Projects developed annually by MetroPlan Orlando for it to receive
funding by the Florida Department of Transportation.
(D) Numerous studies have been conducted by the Florida Department of
Transportation over the years that call for reconstruction of the SR 50/Turnpike interchange, and
for such reconstruction to be included in the next major construction project. Yet, both the
Turnpike and SR 50 have been or are being reconstructed and improved since that time with
none of these projects addressing the long-standing needs for improvements to this critical
interchange.
(E) The need for reconstruction and widening of SR 50 through Ocoee was identified
by a traffic demand study in 2002 and subsequently added to the Florida Five-year Work
Program pending available funds. By the time sufficient funds had been identified, traffic growth
on SR 50 had actually declined from its prior level, except for the segment from the Turnpike to
Maguire Road, while traffic on local roads had grown significantly. During the period 2000-
2010, traffic on SR 50 in Ocoee declined as much as 28% (Maguire Road to Bluford Avenue),
while traffic on Old Winter Garden Road went up 59% and on Maguire Road south of SR 50 by
as much as 32%. This growth is expected to continue. In fact, the 2002 traffic study predicted
that widening SR 50 would double the rate of traffic growth.
(F) The most recent published data has average daily traffic on Old Winter Garden
Road at 24,940 vehicles, 28,550 on Maguire Road (south of SR 50), and 34,000 on SR 50.
Nevertheless, substantial state funds are being expended to widen SR 50 without regard for the
decrease in traffic growth on this highway or consideration of how local traffic is to reach that
facility, or to make any accommodation for traffic on the local roadways.
(G) Traffic data clearly demonstrate that more than 10,000 vehicles per day are
traveling north on roads from large population areas south of SR 50 to and from the Turnpike
and SR 429 interchanges. This traffic is following a long route on local streets and state
highways in order to access SR 429 and the Turnpike, thereby imposing additional burdens on
state and local governments to accommodate this pass-through traffic. This traffic is impacting
Old Winter Garden Road, which provides access to the Turnpike interchange from the
southeast, and Maguire Road, which provides access from the south and southwest. If this
traffic could access the Turnpike interchange directly rather than via SR 50, it is likely that SR
50 traffic volumes would fall to a level less than that of the local roads.
(H) Much of the traffic that desires access to the Turnpike and SR 429 at SR 50 is
being generated by new residential and commercial development occurring south of the
Turnpike and SR 50. As a result, demand for access to the Turnpike and SR 429 has grown
substantially, which has put more traffic on these local roads. It is common for traffic on
Maguire Road at the SR 50 intersection to fail to clear during the green phase of the traffic
signal controlling movement through this intersection. The SR 50 road widening project will not
improve this operational problem and is actually likely to make it worse as a result of increased
intersection clearance times.
(I) In addition to the residential and commercial traffic originating and terminating
south of SR 50, there is also substantial commercial and industrial truck traffic gong to and from
large distribution centers located north of SR 50. Much of this traffic seeks access to the
Turnpike, which requires using Marshall Farms Road and going through a stop-sign-controlled
intersection at SR 50 in order to use a few feet of SR 50 to get to the Turnpike on-ramp. On the
opposite approach of Marshall Farms Road, SR 50 construction plans to preclude the existing
access to SR 50 because of the free-flow exit lane from the Turnpike to eastbound SR 50. In
addition, the left turn now permitted to go north on Marshall Farms Road from SR 50 will be
closed and this traffic will need to continue east to Maguire Road in order to go north, further
exacerbating traffic congestion at this intersection.
(J) The proximity of Old Winter Garden Road, Tomyn Boulevard, and Marshall
Farms Road, among other local streets, to the existing Turnpike interchange suggest they can
be incorporated in a redesigned Turnpike interchange so as to reduce the existing inefficiencies
and safety hazards of this interchange by providing more direct access to the Turnpike without
requiring drivers to use Maguire Road and SR 50. (See attached map.)
(K) A more recent traffic study undertaken by the Florida Department of
Transportation found that significant improvements in traffic circulation could be realized by
improving local streets parallel to SR 50. As a result of these findings, a connector is being
constructed by the City of Ocoee to bridge the gap between Bluford Avenue and Maguire Road
north of SR 50. A similar connector is proposed on the south side of SR 50 by extending Old
Winter Garden Road west from Maguire Road toward Marshall Farms Road and the Turnpike
interchange. This extension also includes one or more connectors to SR 50 to provide
improved access to a large commercial area poised for development in the near future. (See
attached map.)
(L) Ongoing economic development efforts by local governments in West Orange
County will continue to cause travel demand to increase and place further pressures on an
already inadequate interchange at SR 50 and Florida's Turnpike. In particular, continued
development in and around the existing interchange will impede future efforts to reconstruct the
SR 50/Turnpike interchange if rights of way and easements are not quickly secured.
SECTION 4. CALL FOR ACTION. Based on the foregoing legislative findings, the City
Commission of the City of Ocoee hereby authorizes the Mayor and City Manager to work with
MetroPlan Orlando, the Florida Department of Transportation, other units of local government,
and any relevant private parties to encourage and participate in the timely development of a
design and reconstruction effort for the SR 50 interchange with Florida's Turnpike. Such a
design effort should consider the extension of Old Winter Garden Road west from its current
terminus at Maguire Road, with appropriate connections to SR 50 and the Turnpike interchange,
and construction of a connection from Tomyn Boulevard to the Turnpike interchange.
SECTION 15. EFFECTIVE DATE. This resolution shall take effect immediately upon its
passage and adoption.
(Signatures on following page.)
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 2nd day of August, 2016.
APPROVED:
ATTEST: CITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA
Melanie Sibbitt, Acting City Clerk Rusty Johnson, Mayor
(SEAL)
RESOLUTION NO. 2016-
FOR USE AND RELIANCE ONLY BY THE APPROVED BY THE OCOEE CITY
CITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA. APPROVED COMMISSION AT A MEETING HELD
AS TO FORM AND LEGALITY THIS 2nd ON AUGUST 2, 2016 UNDER AGENDA
DAY OF AUGUST, 2016. ITEM NO. .
SHUFFIELD, LOWMAN &WILSON, P.A.
By:
City Attorney
0
....-'......---........---> to
D!
CO
any pOOMOel9
C
c
ce
C
N
O
aP,e 0 d
J�p� y >
0� c co
c c
cn E
v E
O I-
i
pa ap6eyy
i 'pa ann6eIAJ
o'
(I
A,
%"
//P N
,SAP >.,
Co
O
CD
d �
d � L
d LW OO
~y C
C
co
C
0 pM8 ufwo .3
1
co t
N
I�
__�� i I PLI a�auLapulM +a+
I 0
Cr)CD
Csl a,
u>� m 0
C LL 0.
Co
t 2
l0
Y
C
a)
E
t
0
Co
4.,
a-+
Q
MMY o ,
J M O.. V n It
ev ; u.0 1;
t
e a
P M P O
V g
-74:,,, 7 (11„)
.•
r
2.1!--:q Y$ s 1
W�+ f C _ Y_ G q .11
m • s Y
U
1 , iw i �o=;d3 a 0
a x
z
pj ann6eW
._Z r ._....
O
°- q I 1} n 4; C CD
1. Y - }F if
..:t is Z. X u '6 r E
o
a i o c 3
¢U IX 4L 4
I r ;
cll
O;
Fl as
a)
III 4 i)+w„nwh c u
J
III
guoisua x of A —'
(�) 3 l� wouoo
I
n f GJ L
Y fir.;
b 4 n$
1 Ea r
qR II r
Pill i
o`
ov Y N
a cc
oS
1 _o
CU
._.�_.._
PM iUY,Yd 11.4.44 eN ilk V. C
r
4: 4, -a
0
on
r i c
ar y r® w
o 4
CCU
IS
CL
T A ;11 / j rB
7o ue6,uiac i
4 „
1
I hi! Mr
N •�
r
CU
l; P C
o ;s x O
n U
Jim
E
i rs / N
B �
I 4` °-
71) 43 t.--------"'------:,,,,,' :-......
gO 1; �_�/ ~$ e of
c N
•
f a+
+Q J
1