Tiny Road improvements to begin in 2028

Orange County is continuing its Roadway Conceptual Analysis study to evaluate improvements to the two-lane section of Tiny Road, and a preferred alternative has been selected.

The county hosted a community meeting to discuss the study in November 2023. Since then, several updates have been added to the plans to reflect resident input, which were presented at the most recent community meeting Wednesday, May 22.

The updates include the additions of a right-turn lane at Green Orchard Avenue; pedestrian concrete barriers under the State Road 429 bridge; and a traditional traffic signal at Tiny Road with dual left turns onto Tiny and Tilden roads.

“We listened to you from our first meeting, and we have gone back to the traffic engineering folks and asked them to come up with some interim solutions,” Ian Phyers, Orange County project manager for the Transportation Planning Division, said. “They are going to include the addition of two signs north of Green Orchard and reflected paveway markers along the edge line and center line of the roadway, so that when you go over them they make noise so you actually know you’re coming off the roadway. … The work order is already in.”

SUGGESTED IMPROVEMENTS

After listening to resident comments and feedback from the first meeting, Phyers said roundabouts were recommended at several intersections along the roadway.

He said roundabouts have fewer conflict points compared to conventional intersections and can promote slower speeds through the intersection and along the corridor; crash severity can be reduced compared to conventional intersections; pedestrians only cross one directions of traffic at a time as they traverse a roundabout; and unlike conventional signalized intersections, roundabouts are not affected by power outages.

Pedestrian hybrid beacons also are being proposed, which can be used at roundabouts to help with the crossing of the roadway. The beacons will remain dark until activated by a pedestrian in the crosswalk. 

The preferred Tiny Road typical section includes two 11-foot-wide travel lanes with a 22-foot raised median, 10-foot-wide shared-use paths on both sides, a design speed set at 35 mph and a closed drainage system with stormwater ponds.

The preferred alternative analysis for Bridgewater Crossings Boulevard, Hamlin Groves Trail and Orchard Hills Boulevard is a roundabout. 

The preferred alternative analysis for Tilden Road is a traffic signal shifted east, which would create dual left turns onto Tiny Road and onto Tilden Road, with a multi-use path (east side) that would continue across Tilden Road and connect with the future trail project.

Two alternatives were presented, and alternative one was selected as the preferred method.

When looking at the smaller details, the differences between the two plans are: Alternative one has 11 parcels impacted as opposed to 8 in alternative two, alternative one has 7.84 acres of right-of-way needed as opposed to 7.29, alternative one has 0.28 acres of wetlands impacted as opposed to 0.19, and alternative one is less expensive at $40,594,000 as opposed to $41,798,000.

COMMUNITY INPUT

Dave Buckles, who serves as president of nearby school Foundation Academy, asked about funding for the project and how it could affect the timeline. 

“I’ve watched these projects for a long time; we’ve had that property on the corner there for a long time and watched the intersection of Tiny and Avalon work forever to have that funding taking place,” he said. “What is the reality? … Getting funding for this is a big deal, because it’s a safety issue on this road.”

Brian Sanders, chief planner for Orange County’s Transportation Planning Division, said the county has funding for the design of the project. 

“The way we’ve developed the concept is to minimize the impacts to right-of-way, which makes the project less costly and speeds it forward to construction,” he said. “Those are the realities that we’ve built into this project. This is a very desirable project, and I think it will gain favor as we go through the budgeting process. These kinds of projects bubble up quicker than other projects that take much longer and have a lot of issues to resolve with right-of-way.”

Although interim solutions were given, residents still expressed concerns with the project not starting quickly enough.

Linda Sibley inquired on safety for cyclists on the road and said as an avid cyclist and resident in the area, Tiny Road is one of the most dangerous roadways in the community. 

“You’ve got cars, low-speed vehicles and street-legal golf carts all in the same lane at 35 mph,” she said. “It appears in the presentation that the sidewalk is only vehicles on the roadway. So, my assumption is that roadway cyclists, as well as sidewalk cyclists, will be using the sidewalk? And if not, from looking at it it didn’t look like there was enough room in the lane for a vehicle as well as a street cyclist. So, if that can’t happen, are street cyclists actually going to be forced to be on the sidewalk with the pedestrians and the runners?”

“There are going to be 11-foot lanes, and there will be some opportunities to pass the cyclists,” Phyers said. “Remember that in the typical section, the median is mountable. So, if they really need to pass the cyclists that badly, they can mount the curb and go.”

The project is estimated to go before the Orange County Board of County Commissioners in September, and construction is estimated to start mid-2028.