ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida remains one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, and with that growth comes plenty of traffic woes.
Despite major transportation projects coming to fruition in the last decade, like SunRail, I-4 Ultimate and the Wekiva Parkway expansion, funding – or lack thereof – remains the key driver as plans are made for future projects.
Gary Huttmann is the executive director of MetroPlan Orlando , the metropolitan transportation planning organization covering Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties, and has more than three decades of experience in the transportation industry.
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“Traffic congestion is a problem,” Huttmann said. “Part of that is the price you pay for success.”
That success is the region’s growing population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 2.35 million people currently live in the counties that make up the Orlando metro (Osceola, Orange and Seminole). By 2045, the region’s population is expected to grow to an estimated 3.2 million.
While good for the economy, the growth is already straining many over-taxed roads that need major upgrades, and Huttmann says there’s not enough available funding to make the necessary adjustments. Orange County alone estimates that it currently has $22 billion worth of unfunded transportation needs.
“The cost increases that we’re seeing and being asked to help with exceed the amount of money we even get,” Huttmann said. “Maybe the biggest misconception that we find is that the general public don’t understand how transportation is funded.”
Transportation projects are traditionally funded by four main sources: a federal gas tax, a state gas tax, a local gas tax, and tolls, which can only be used for toll-road-related projects. But that revenue source is declining as vehicles become more fuel efficient and EVs continue to be added to the market.
“That’s something we’ve talked about for a number of years,” Huttmann said. “We recognize it, but we struggle to come up with an alternative.”
An alternative was proposed a few years ago in the form of a transportation tax proposed by Orange County, which was estimated to generate $600 million annually for roads, transit and safety improvements for pedestrians. Huttmann says the failed initiative would’ve been transformational for the region.
“It’s not just giving up the proceeds of the penny sales tax,” he said. “There’s so much discretionary federal money available, and that’s not free. It takes 20% to get your hands on that money, so that could’ve been leveraged to access so much more.”
One project that’s been targeted for years is widening State Road 50 from four lanes to six lanes in the 5.5-mile stretch between Avalon Park Boulevard and State Road 520. The price tag, though, is upwards of $135 million and only getting more expensive.”
“State Road 50 has been the number one project for a long time,” Huttmann said. “Other projects have gotten done before it because there’s just never enough money to do the State Road 50 project.”
Huttmann said numerous studies have been done in the last decade for another public transit option that would be similar to the Lymmo service offered in downtown Orlando, which zips passengers around on bus-dedicated lanes. Corridors that have been eyed include State Road 436 from Orlando International Airport to Altamonte Springs, State Road 50 from the Lake County line to UCF and U.S. 192 in Kissimmee.
“All of those are good projects, and they’re very attractive when you’re doing the studies,” Huttmann said. “They get less attractive when you look at the price tag.”
Instead of finding short-term solutions to alleviating congestion, Huttmann says MetroPlan Orlando is focused on improving travel time reliability and encouraging drivers to change their behavior.
“That’s what safety is all about,” he added. “It’s getting people to take ownership and responsibility when they’re on the road, and that it’s not all about them and getting to their destination as quickly as possible. It’s a shared responsibility.”
Despite the funding shortfall, billions of dollars will still be spent on future transportation projects in the future.
In its 2045 plan, MetroPlan Orlando is estimating nearly $28 billion worth of investments over the next 20 years, but the report says that figure is nowhere near what’s needed to meet the region’s needs and desires.