Winter Park looks to revamp chaotic downtown intersection

One of Winter Park’s most notorious intersections could be getting a facelift in the near future.

Preliminary plans are in motion between the city and the Florida Department of Transportation to have the intersection of Lyman Avenue and New York Avenue cut down to size – an effort to bring order to the chaotic four-way stop.

City Commissioner Steven Leary brought up the intersection for brief discussion during the Aug. 11 City Commission meeting, noting how residents tend to all drive in at once after a train passes through.

“I think everybody here has experienced crossing at Lyman and New York,” City Commissioner Steven Leary said. “When those gates go up it’s an absolute rodeo. It’s a free-for-all and nobody stops.”

Public Works Director Troy Attaway attributed the confusion to the large size of the intersection. The stop sign on Lyman sits so far back that it throws off the cycle of alternating drivers, he said.

But a joint effort between Winter Park and FDOT should fix that, he said.

“There are some preliminary plans to tighten the intersection up a little bit,” Public Works Director Troy Attaway said. “Right now it’s very large. With our leftover money from our [SunRail] platform, we’re working with the DOT.”

“They’ve taken a look at that particular intersection and agree that it’s really crazy.”

The Florida Department of Transportation has yet to come forward with a design for the intersection, but Attaway said the plan could involve a combination of new road signs, four additional railroad crossing gates and concrete and asphalt work to make the four-way intersection smaller and more manageable.

There’s no timeline yet for when a design will be presented or when construction should start, Attaway said.