Florida Construction News staff writer

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer joined city contractors Tuesday morning, to close a 1.6-mile gap along East Anderson Street from Summerlin Avenue to Lake Underhill Road. Completion of the roadway section dubbed the Downtown Connector Path brings the city a step closer to completion of the 8.5-mile Downtown Loop project.

Donning work boots and safety gear Dyer helped pour and smooth 60 liner feet of concrete for the path – ensuring a safe surface for future travelers.

“Thanks to just a little construction help from me, the Downtown Connector Path on Anderson St. is closer to completion,” Dyer wrote on Twitter. “Part of our 8.5-mile Downtown Loop project, the path will provide cyclists and pedestrians with a safe, convenient route connecting neighborhoods and downtown.

“I like to take an opportunity to come out and show the guys they can do better work than I can.”

The project is a connection that will provide alternative transportation option that ties into a network of paths that loop through more than a dozen neighborhoods and the Orlando Urban Trail, Gertrude’s Walk, Lake Underhill Path, Bumby Path and Cady Way Trail.

The Downtown Connector gap project – an 8.5-mile loop through the greater downtown Orlando area is expected to be complete in early 2023. The entire Downtown Loop project is expected to be complete by Summer 2025.

Made up of primarily off-street bikeways, it will encompass more than a dozen neighborhoods and connect to the Orlando Urban Trail, Gertrude’s Walk, Lake Underhill Path, Bumby Path and Cady Way Trail.

There are three ongoing construction projects:

• Orlando Urban Trail Gap Project – completes the segment between the Colonial Drive Overpass at Orange Avenue and Magnolia Avenue at Weber Street
• Gertrude’s Walk Phase 4 Project – completes the segment along Gertrude’s Walk from Livingston Street to Jefferson Street
• Downtown Connector Trail – completes the segment from Summerlin Avenue to the Lake Underhill Path, on the south side of Anderson Street

The remaining miles are currently in design and will add a mix of sidewalk level and street level cycle tracks and wide sidewalks along portions of Washington Street, Magnolia Avenue, Pine Street, Eola Drive and Summerlin Avenue.