RENDERING VIA DOWNTOWN ORLANDO
Construction began today on Church Street in downtown Orlando, with vehicle lanes closing between Garland Avenue and the SunRail railroad tracks as the city kicks off a multi-year project to convert the corridor into a pedestrian-first “festival street.”
Mayor Buddy Dyer, District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose, and Downtown Development Board Executive Director David Barilla held a groundbreaking ceremony this morning at 128 W. Church Street [GMap]. Roadwork will run Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with occasional nights and weekends. Sidewalks and business entrances will remain open throughout construction.
Phase I, awarded in June to Atlantic Civil Constructors Corporation with a $5.2 million budget, will replace the Garland Avenue to railroad tracks stretch with a curbless roadway design, two 11-foot travel lanes, a semi-pervious street surface, designated loading zones, and expanded landscaping. The city’s groundbreaking release shared that Phase I is expected to be complete in winter 2026, though the city’s own project page lists an anticipated completion date in the first quarter of 2027 with an eight- to ten-month project duration.
Phase II, from the railroad tracks to Orange Avenue, is budgeted at $8 million and will add textured paving, benches, planters, and movable furniture, with completion projected for spring 2028. Phase III, from Orange Avenue to Magnolia Avenue, will convert Church Street from one-way eastbound to two-way traffic and integrate Lymmo bus service into regular travel lanes, targeting early summer 2028.
All three phases are funded through the city’s $160 million Community Redevelopment Agency bond, borrowed from Morgan Stanley Bank at roughly 4.16% interest and repayable over about 16 years from downtown tax-increment revenue.
