Orlando’s Busiest Tourist Corner Is Getting a Pedestrian Gateway: Inside the I-Drive and Sand Lake Road Plan
The crossing of International Drive and Sand Lake Road, one of Central Florida’s most heavily traveled tourist corners, is being reimagined as a walkable gateway to the entertainment and convention district. Alongside a long-planned elevated pedestrian bridge, a new proposal would rebuild and widen the corner sidewalks into a promenade, backed by a voluntary land donation to Orange County and a safety case built on years of crash data.
A conceptual aerial view of the reimagined International Drive and Sand Lake Road crossing, envisioned as a signature gateway to the I-Drive tourism district.
Image: Orange County / HHCP&AVCON. Conceptual rendering only; the final design may change.
What to Know
The I-Drive and Sand Lake plan in brief
A two-part push to make one of Orlando’s most active tourist intersections safer, more walkable and unmistakably a gateway to the district.
A walkable gateway. An elevated pedestrian bridge plus a widened corner promenade.
A safety-first case. 661 crashes were logged near the corner from 2017 to 2022.
County review ahead. Commissioners weigh the promenade; the bridge is targeted for 2030.
One of Orlando’s busiest tourist crossings is on track for a serious upgrade. The corner of International Drive and Sand Lake Road, a gateway into the theme-park, convention and entertainment district, is the subject of a proposal to transform its cramped sidewalks into a wide, pedestrian-first promenade, working in tandem with the elevated pedestrian bridge that Orange County has already funded for the same intersection.
The promenade concept comes from Gateway 2040 LLC, a development entity led by International Drive operator Joshua Wallack, whose family holdings along the corridor include the Mangos Tropical Cafe site at 8126 International Drive. Under the roughly $20 million public-private partnership proposal, the developer would design and build widened sidewalks around the corner, with the finished infrastructure then turned over to the county.
What’s being proposed at the corner
The design, prepared by Burkett Engineering, would push pedestrian walkways farther from active traffic lanes, realign underground utilities, and add modern stormwater management to cut hydroplaning risk. The result is a far wider place for visitors to gather before crossing, rather than the narrow strips that hug the travel lanes today.
A cornerstone of the pitch is land. Wallack-controlled entities are offering to convey about 25,332 square feet of largely contiguous corner frontage to Orange County at no cost, drawn from four parcels around the intersection: the Burger King at 7667 International Drive, the Hulk Hogan’s Beach Shop at 7679 International Drive, the former Perkins at 6813 Sand Lake Road, and the Hollywood Plaza Garage at 8050 International Drive. A preliminary appraisal valued that land at roughly $8.8 million.
The safety case driving the redesign
Safety is the headline argument. A traffic study covering May 2017 through May 2022 documented 661 total vehicle crashes within about 650 feet of the intersection. Of those, 13 involved people walking or biking, resulting in injuries to 12 pedestrians and one bicyclist. For a corner that funnels tens of thousands of tourists on foot, those numbers have long made this one of the region’s most watched crossings.
How the promenade would be funded
The financing runs through a public-private partnership. Gateway 2040 would front the cost using private equity and debt, then be reimbursed for negotiated expenses after the improvements are complete, drawing on future Community Redevelopment Agency dollars earmarked for transportation, pedestrian safety and gateway aesthetics. The specifics are expected to be worked out as the county evaluates the offer.
The gateway by the numbers
Why the corner matters: it is both a top safety priority and the symbolic front door to a tourism district that draws visitors from around the world.
Where the pedestrian bridge fits
The promenade is designed to complement, not replace, the elevated crossing. Orange County has been advancing the pedestrian bridge on its own track and recently closed bidding on final design services for the structure, which studies have pegged in the range of $36 million. The concept has been in planning documents for more than a decade, and county design work has centered on an iconic, curved “gateway” form with a stair and elevator at each corner and protective corner barriers in place of at-grade crosswalks.
If the promenade proposal moves forward, its overall schedule would span about 37 months, with roughly 20 months for design and permitting and 17 months for bidding and construction.
A light real estate read on the project
For the wider I-Drive area around 32819, a safer, more walkable gateway is the kind of infrastructure that tends to lift a corridor over time. Pedestrian-first design, better lighting and a signature crossing make a district easier to enjoy on foot, which is exactly what convention-adjacent tourism corridors compete on.
None of this is a reason to read too much into any single parcel. But when a county and private stakeholders align on a marquee gateway at a corner this visible, it signals confidence in the district’s long-term direction, and that context is worth knowing for anyone tracking Southwest Orlando.
The Takeaway
The International Drive and Sand Lake Road corner has been a safety concern for years, and the region has talked about a signature crossing here for more than a decade. A funded pedestrian bridge plus a proposed promenade, sweetened by a sizable land donation, is the most concrete step yet toward turning that talk into a genuine gateway.
Watch the county workshop and the commission’s response. If the partnership terms hold and the bridge design stays on schedule, this intersection could look dramatically different by the end of the decade.
FAQ
What is being proposed at International Drive and Sand Lake Road?
Two connected improvements: a long-planned elevated pedestrian bridge funded by Orange County, and a separately proposed promenade that would rebuild and widen the corner sidewalks into a pedestrian-first gateway.
Why is safety such a focus at this corner?
A study covering 2017 to 2022 recorded 661 crashes within about 650 feet of the intersection, including injuries to 12 pedestrians and one bicyclist. The redesign aims to separate people on foot from heavy traffic.
How would the promenade be paid for?
Through a public-private partnership. The developer, Gateway 2040 LLC, would fund construction upfront and later be reimbursed for negotiated costs from future Community Redevelopment Agency funds, alongside a no-cost donation of about 25,332 square feet of corner land.
What is the pedestrian bridge, and when could it be built?
It is an elevated crossing connecting all four corners of the intersection, designed as an iconic gateway with stairs and elevators at each corner. It is funded, has been through county design study, and is targeted for completion by 2030.
When will Orange County decide?
The promenade proposal is headed to a county workshop for evaluation, with any formal approval to follow through the Board of County Commissioners. The bridge itself is already advancing through final design.
External Links & Related Reading
For readers who want to review the project and the agencies behind it, these are the key references.
- International Drive Pedestrian Overpass — Official Orange County Project Site
- Orange County Government — I-Drive Pedestrian Overpass Project Page
- Engage Orange County — I-Drive Improvement Projects
- Orange County — International Drive 2040 Vision Plan
- FOX 35 Orlando — Developer offers funding help for the I-Drive pedestrian bridge
- Burkett Engineering — Promenade Design
Watching Southwest Orlando’s next chapter?
Infrastructure moves like this say a lot about where a district is heading. When a move is on your radar, local context matters.