ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando is going a bit further with the reopening of roads in downtown in an effort to curb a so-called street-party atmosphere that officials have blamed for public safety issues.
Starting Friday, the barricade installations along Orange Avenue will expand to include center-lane barricades on Central Boulevard and Pine Street, according to a city news release. Roads will remain closed to vehicles during this next phase, the release states.
Before the barricades, revelers were free to walk from sidewalk to sidewalk along Orange Avenue. The changes began in November as an effort to curb a street-party atmosphere, largely in response to a shooting and stampede on Halloween night that eft two dead and eight others injured.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
The city’s release states these initial phases of the changes are guided by the following priorities:
- Keeping pedestrians closer to sidewalks
- Supporting downtown businesses by maintaining access and encouraging patronage
According to the city’s plan, all three lanes of Orange Avenue will eventually be open to vehicular traffic.