ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando started rolling out fences Monday morning along Magnolia Avenue and Robinson Street as crews implement changes that are part of the city’s DTO Action Plan.

The joint effort between Orlando and the Community Redevelopment Agency will transform the one-way corridor into a two-way street to improve traffic and to create a more pedestrian-friendly environment, aimed at attracting more people to downtown.

According to the city, Magnolia Avenue will be closed between Livingston and Jefferson Streets for approximately six weeks, which might cause some disruptions for commuters. 

What You Need To Know

The city of Orlando begins Phase 1 of their plans to redesign Magnolia Avenue

This project is part of the city’s DTO Action Plan to make downtown more walkable

According to the city, Magnolia Avenue will be closed between Livingston and Jefferson Streets for approximately six weeks

All intersections along the Magnolia Avenue corridor will remain open and traffic will be redirected to Rosalind Avenue for the time being

All intersections along the Magnolia Avenue corridor will remain open, and traffic redirects to Rosalind Avenue for the duration of the project.

The city encourages drivers to plan alternate routes ahead of time.

Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to get around since sidewalks will remain open.

The project will do several things, according to the city:

Convert Magnolia Avenue back into a two-way street
Remove most of the dedicated LYMMO bus lanes
Integrate buses into regular traffic
Add more street parking

The project highlights the city’s long-term goal of making downtown Orlando a more walkable city.

Prior to the 1950s, Magnolia Avenue was a two-way street, but was converted into a one-way street to support commuter traffic after the construction of I-4.

City leaders say that most downtown streets accommodate high-volume traffic, which complicates walkability and transit use.

This project is one of five downtown improvement projects the city has planned as part of the DTO Action Plan.

Other projects include a new gateway at Lake Eola, a canopy park under I-4 and renovations along Church Street.