KISSIMMEE, Fla. – As pedestrians continue to worry about their safety when crossing Michigan Avenue, the county is set to share its plans to improve it.
For years, News 6 has reported on the issues on the street. Speeding cars, numerous bus stops and lack of crosswalks for most of the street make it a potentially hazardous area for pedestrians.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s dangerous. You can hardly cross. I mean, you’re risking your life every time you try to cross the street, risking your life. People have been killed,” George Sanchez said.
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“We have a friend; he got hit yesterday. He was crossing. He had the right of way for him to cross the street. These cars don’t care.”
According to the county, MetroPlan Orlando conducted traffic safety studies in 2019 and 2024, assessing various corridors throughout Osceola County to identify areas needing safety enhancements. Michigan Avenue was highlighted in these studies as a corridor that would significantly benefit from safety improvements, with particular emphasis on enhancing conditions for vulnerable users, such as pedestrians and cyclists.
“[Drivers] don’t care if they see you crossing the street. Instead of slowing down, putting the brakes down, they’ll accelerate and try to hit you,” Alfonzo Rivera said.
While the improvement project was stalled because of funding in 2021, the county now says it is fully funded thanks to a Department of Housing and Urban Development grant awarded in 2023 and federal funds from the Local Agency Program.
An in-person public meeting was held Tuesday evening at the Kissimmee Civic Center, where residents had the opportunity to review project renderings and share their concerns. A virtual public meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening for those who were unable to attend.
“We want to get people’s feedback on what we’re proposing,” said Jennifer Stults, director of transportation planning for Osceola County. “If they say that’s a terrible idea and suggest something else, we want to hear that. And if they like it, we want to hear that too.”
The design work began in Oct. 2024 and is expected to be done by Oct. 2025. As part of the design phase, two public meetings will be held. The first is tonight from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Kissimmee Civic Center, and the second will be a virtual meeting on Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. For more information on the project and the public meetings, click here.
