Orange County, Florida, was recently honored with the Florida Association of County Engineers and Road Superintendents (FACERS) 2024-2025 Large Agency Project of the Year Award for the Rio Grande Pedestrian Safety Project, which involved collaboration with VHB, City of Orlando, LYNX and OCPS.
Presented by Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings at an Awards Presentation on August 26, 2025, the accolade highlights the project team’s collaborative, multimodal approach that enhances safety and connectivity on a highly trafficked Central Florida road.
The Rio Grande Avenue corridor, spanning 2.68 miles from Holden Avenue to Jones High School, was a detailed safety study to elevate transportation safety and mobility for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users, not just automobiles. VHB planners and engineers prepared the initial Rio Grande Avenue Pedestrian Safety Study as well as final design of the recommended improvements from the study.
"We take immense pride in transforming Rio Grande Avenue into a safer, more connected, and vibrant corridor for Orange County—VHB’s trusted client and partner of over 24 years," said Babuji Ambikapathy, Transportation Systems Chief Engineer and the planning study project manager.
"This award highlights the collaborative spirit and dedication of our team, local stakeholders, and county officials in realizing an important safety project."
Situated within Orange County District 6, the corridor features a diverse mix of historic housing, industrial areas, and residential neighborhoods that called for thoughtful integration of multimodal elements. Our approach included vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users by implementing key aspects like enhanced pedestrian crossings and integrated bicycle facilities. These efforts align with Orange County's early “Walk-Ride-Thrive!” and “INVEST in Our Home for Life” initiatives, focused on developing safer, inclusive roadways throughout the county.
Successful project outcomes were driven by collaboration and cooperation with stakeholders, including City of Orlando, Bike/Walk Central Florida and local schools. VHB engaged with residents through surveys, virtual, and in-person meetings to help address concerns, leading to impactful strategies like introducing new midblock crossings and enhancing existing midblock crossings with Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, performing curb and median modifications like painted medians to replace the continuous two-way left turn lanes, and ADA improvements.
“VHB prepared the engineering plans in a record time so that the project could be built expeditiously,” said Juan Camacho, Director of Traffic Engineering and design Project Panager. “We were recognized for transitioning swiftly from traffic data collection and planning to roadway design and construction in just five months—an achievement for a transportation project of this size and complexity.”
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