ORLANDO, Fla. – For years, Central Florida has led the country in pedestrian crashes. So far this year, Orange County has already seen double-digit deaths.
Many cities are trying to get results, and make the area more pedestrian friendly.
Driving along Colonial Drive there's no mistaking the sights and sounds of the I-4 expansion, but just to the East of the interstate, the concrete pilings are being erected for another project: The Colonial Pedestrian Overpass.
The idea is simple according to Billy Hattaway, the transportation director for the City of Orlando.
"So that pedestrians and and bicyclists can move throughout the city and the region in order to get to places that people want to go without having to drive everywhere," he said.
When it's finished, the ramp will be just East of I-4 near Concord Street.
It will take you up and over the railroad tracks and S.R. 50, then come back down on the north side of 50 near Steelhouse.It will prevent pedestrians and bikers from having to stand and wait at crosswalks and then cross busy Colonial Drive.
"Sounds safe," Nicole Calderon said. Calderon works downtown and walks around all the time.
"But right now, I wouldn't walk there," she said. "Because 50 is a chaotic crazy road, lot of cars."
The original intent was to connect Gertrudes Walk, a small path just west of 55 West, to Orlando's Urban Trail.
The byproduct is it could cut down on pedestrian fatalities on one of the city's busiest roadways.
"It will absolutely help prevent crashes," Hattaway said."Because it'll eliminate conflict between pedestrians and bicyclists that want to cross 50 and the motorists traveling through."
Like most things in Orlando, there is an emphasis on function and aesthetics. City planners said the $10 million "signature" bridge will not disappoint.
"It's actually gonna be really cool when it's done," Hattaway said. "Probably the most attractive of that type in the area."
The project is over $9 million and the bulk of that is paid for with federal dollars, according to city officials.