International Drive
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International Drive (often abbreviated I-Drive) is Orlando, Florida's main tourist strip, located southwest of downtown. It is 14.5 miles long. Only the northern part is in Orlando; the rest is in unincorporated Orange County, and a recent extension (which doesn't connect to the rest yet), known as International Drive South, is partly in Osceola County. The portion of I-Drive from Sand Lake Road southward to SR 536, and the segment of Universal Boulevard that runs parallel, make up the Downtown Orange County district.
International Drive is home to many hotels, small tourist attractions, restaurants, and other commercial properties, in addition to the major attractions of SeaWorld, the Orange County Convention Center and Universal Orlando (across I-4 from I-Drive). In recent years it has become a particularly popular place for British tourists to visit or stay. The I-Ride trolley (a fancy-looking bus) runs along most of I-Drive, and is marketed toward tourists. Several Lynx public bus routes also serve I-Drive. It also offers helicopter rides.
The north end of I-Drive is a cul-de-sac at the Prime Outlets International (formerly Belz Factory Outlet Mall). It roughly parallels I-4 to the southeast, running south and southwest towards Walt Disney World. It gets less crowded with businesses and traffic as it continues south. Originally the name went west along what is now World Center Drive and SR 536, but the name was dropped there when the southern extension was built.
One of several McDonald's to call itself the nation's largest is at the intersection with Sand Lake Road.
[edit] History
The first section of I-Drive was laid out in the 1960s, heading north from Sand Lake Road (SR 482) to serve a Marriott Hotel. The land it was in was on the west edge of the 4,300-acre Orlando Central Park business park originally owned by Martin Marietta. After the opening of the Walt Disney World Resort in 1971, Martin decided to create an entire tourism corridor throughout the west side of the business park, roughly along Interstate 4. International Drive was eventually extended to its current north point (where Prime Outlets is now) and southward past the Bee Line (now Beachline) Expressway.
The International Drive Master Transit and Improvement District was created in 1992 to help Orlando, Orange County, and I-Drive businesses work together to plan a transit service for the corridor and help promote area tourism.
I-Drive currently is four lanes, two in each direction, from its north end to Pointe Plaza Dr. (former Universal Blvd. south end; see below), and again between the northern and southern intersections with Westwood Blvd. It is six lanes, three in each direction, from Pointe Plaza Dr. to the Beachline Expressway (the eastbound ramps to the Beachline tie in to the northern intersection with Westwood Blvd.), and again from the southern intersection with Westwood Blvd. to its end at SR 536. The entirety of International Drive South, from SR 535 to US 192, is entirely six lanes. The section of I-Drive from Universal Blvd. to Sand Lake Road has no median or center turn lane, and is frequently ground zero for gridlock in the evenings in the tourism corridor, affecting Carrier Dr. and Sand Lake Road.
[edit] Universal Boulevard
Universal Boulevard runs roughly parallel to International Drive from the Beachline Expressway north, then crosses I-Drive at Wet 'n Wild and goes over Interstate 4 into Universal Orlando Resort. Originally built as Republic Drive, it originally stopped at International Drive and fed into ramps onto and off I-4 eastbound. In 1998, the extension north into Universal was opened (in preparation for the opening of Islands of Adventure in 1999), and the road was renamed to Universal Blvd. The intersection at I-4 still only has ramps onto and off I-4 eastbound; the ramps on westbound I-4 connect not to Universal Blvd., but to Hollywood Way, necessitating a right turn to get to Universal Blvd.
Southbound, it originally fed into I-Drive just north of the Orange County Convention Center (the current West Building). The north corner of the intersection is now the Pointe Orlando shopping district. When the North Building (then Phase V) of the OCCC was planned, it was also planned to extend Universal Boulevard along its current alignment on the north side of the North Building. Plans were made in conjunction with the Williamsburg subdivision to design the intersection at the Beachline Expressway so that traffic would not inadvertently clog Orangewood Blvd., which already met the Beachline at that point. the extension was opened in early 2003, and the old connector to I-Drive at Pointe Orlando was renamed. An electric sign system on the Beachline directs convention-goers to the proper road so as to avoid unnecessary traffic on I-Drive.
Universal Blvd. currently has many fewer businesses on it, and thus much less traffic. Currently, several planned communities and extended-stay business apartments are planned for the corridor, including the Village of Imagine, across from the OCCC North Building. The University of Central Florida opened the off-campus Rosen College of Hospitality Management, funded by local hotelier Harris Rosen, in 2005 at Universal Blvd. and the Beachline. Universal Blvd. is currently six lanes from Vineland Rd. southbound to International Drive, then four lanes southbound to Pointe Plaza Blvd., then six lanes again to the Beachline. Only one lane in each direction pass under the Beachline to connect to Orangewood Blvd., which is four lanes on the other side.
