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District 6 update: Hiwassee, Pine Hills and I‑Drive projects; county boosts LYNX service funding
Summary
County staff briefed TransMAC on District 6 projects including safety studies on Hiwassee and Conroy‑Windermere, Pine Hills pedestrian phases, the I‑Drive pedestrian overpass design, and a $2 million county top‑up to increase LYNX service on I‑Drive routes; staff said many projects will be coordinated with Vision Zero priorities.
County project staff on Nov. 13 described a package of District 6 safety and mobility projects and an increase in local transit operating funds for the I‑Drive corridor.
Lauren Torres, speaking for Public Works, summarized current work: a Hiwassee Road safety study (Balboa Drive to Silver Star) that is about 53% complete; a Conroy‑Windermere safety and access‑management study that is about 25% complete; and scope development for an I‑Drive pedestrian overpass that will include surrounding sidewalks, ADA upgrades and lighting. "This study is about 53% complete and should be completed by the fall of next year," Torres said of the Hiwassee study.
Construction and near‑term work: Torres reported that Pine Hills pedestrian safety project phases 2 and 3 are moving forward (phase 2 at roughly 80% construction and phase 3 recently issued a notice to proceed), Trade Show Boulevard is at 90% design and the Kirkman Road extension is nearly complete. She also said the Oak Ridge Road pedestrian safety work was finished earlier this year and listed multiple sidewalk and ADA projects now in design or construction.
Transit funding: Torres said Orange County provided an additional $2,000,000 in September/October to increase fixed operating funds and boost bus service on routes serving the I‑Drive area. She told the commission the LYNX budget for FY24–25 was about $89,000,000 (a roughly 14% increase year over year) and said the board later approved about $101.9 million for the agency this year, an additional mid‑teens percent increase, to support service improvements.
Planning and transparency: Commissioners raised questions about how Vision Zero corridors will be folded into the county CIP and asked for a mid‑range (10‑year) roadway plan to give better visibility into projects beyond the 5‑year CIP. Torres said staff is developing a 10‑year roadway project plan and that staff currently use a public Monday.com project board to display roadway project information.
What’s next: Staff said they plan to present the 10‑year plan and CIP alignment to the commission in coming months and will continue to coordinate short‑term countermeasures with Vision Zero priorities. Several commissioners also requested a working session before the Dec. 15 TransMAC meeting to refine budget recommendations.
Sources: District 6 project briefing by Lauren Torres to TransMAC on Nov. 13 in Barnett Park. Project status and budget numbers reported by staff during the meeting.
