New $20 million federal grant reimagines mobility in Lake Nona

A new $20 million federal BUILD grant is helping Orange County and Lake Nona reimagine mobility.

This grant is the first of its kind for Central Florida and will support the planning, design and construction of a Local Alternative Mobility Network (LAMN) in Lake Nona – creating and enhancing infrastructure throughout all of Lake Nona’s 17 square miles.

“This innovative project will reduce congestion, improve air quality and increase road safety,” said U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao at a press conference in Lake Nona on Nov. 12. She was joined by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault to announce the national recipients of $900 million in federal BUILD grants. The state of Florida received $63 million in grants awarded to three different projects in Orange County, Jacksonville and Miami.

The LAMN project includes five major components designed to work together to connect people to places with less dependency on automobiles: a full-service mobility hub, linear park, linear park bridge, infrastructure for autonomous vehicles (AV) and a bicycle transportation network.

Here’s a look at how each component will help improve Lake Nona’s innovative mobility network.

1. The creation of a 21,000 square-foot mobility hub will connect all modes of transportation to Lake Nona Town Center where guests will find digital kiosks, seating, bike racks, restrooms with shower facilities, storage and access to dedicated parking.
2. The creation of a multi-acre Linear Park from Laureate Park to Lake Nona Town Center will feature dedicated pedestrian, bike lanes, scooters and AV routes. You may remember we announced plans for this over the summer. Click here to read more.
3. A new bridge across Lake Nona Blvd will connect the new Linear Park with the new Mobility Hub in Lake Nona Town Center, providing safer access for bicyclists and pedestrians.
4. Expansion of the autonomous network and infrastructure will create more than 25 miles of dedicated AV lanes, in addition to Lake Nona’s current 1.2 miles.
5. Expansion of bike trails will include recovery zones that provide shaded stops and hydration stations.

Key findings from the development and operation of the LAMN project in Lake Nona will help Orange County expand the program to other parts of the County. These findings, combined with research and education programs sponsored by Beep, the operator of Lake Nona’s autonomous shuttles, will provide additional learnings and advancement on autonomous vehicle technologies and the impact they will have on safety and traffic relief. Working in tandem, they will serve as a living lab for the broader autonomous mobility ecosystem to innovate, collaborate and drive this important technology forward.

“As we prepare for Florida’s transportation future, these BUILD grants will provide significant investment in our infrastructure and advance multimodal initiatives here in Lake Nona and strategic areas across our state,” said Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault.

Click here to view a video from the press conference with rendering of Linear Park.