When Universal Epic Universe was first rumored, one of the biggest questions that fans had was where Universal’s third major new theme park might go. The current Universal Orlando Resort property is essentially full and is bordered by Orange County roads, businesses, residential homes, and apartment buildings. However, in the years building up to its announcement in 2019, parent company Comcast began quietly buying property on a 750-acre site south of Sand Lake Road and east of Universal Boulevard, which would eventually become Universal’s Epic Universe.
With this new addition, Universal Orlando Resort will effectively double its current size. However, the location is several miles away from the current Universal Orlando Resort theme park complex, which posed an immediate challenge for park planners and guests: How do you connect theme parks and resorts that are separated by several square miles of developed cityscape?
The answer of course was to build up a robust transportation plan, which is now starting to really take shape. Universal has partnered with local government officials in some major ways to work on creating a way to move guests between these two locations without disrupting local residents or the businesses that operate around the two parts of the growing resort.
It is a tricky situation but luckily some solid plans have come together in recent months that will help bring the two halves of Universal Orlando Resort together in a way that makes sense. Here’s what we know so far about how the transportation between Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Epic Universe is taking shape:
1. New roads will connect Universal Orlando Resort to Universal Epic Universe
The centerpiece of the new transportation plan is an extension of Kirkman Road, which will connect it on 1.7 miles of new pavement from Carrier Drive to Universal Boulevard and will facilitate a direct connection between the current resort and the Epic Universe expansion.
Building off this extension will be a completely new road named Epic Boulevard that will be 1.06 miles long. This shorter stretch of road will be the main guest way into the new resort. It will have entrances to the new theme park’s parking lot, drop-off areas, and valet, as well as future expansion plots across from the theme park and on-site resort hotels. A third new road, called Constellation Way is also being built, but this looks to be a much shorter connecting road, and won’t be a major artery in or out of the park.
In addition to these guest roads, several backstage roads are also being constructed primarily for Team Members to use, including the all-new Ideation Place, and extensions of Mandarin Road and Ordinance Road, which will be named Opportunity Way and Teamwork Drive on Universal property, respectively.
2. An elevated traffic circle will help manage guest flow
Universal Epic Universe will certainly attract a lot of attention during its initial few years in operation, and many in the area surrounding the future expansion have expressed concerns about how increased traffic in this already heavily-populated area will be managed. Fortunately, Universal recently confirmed that it is working with the local government to build a massive elevated traffic circle.
The hope is that the massive piece of infrastructure will help with some of the anticipated traffic by moving guests on their way to the resort above local roads so that the traffic flowing beneath this huge structure won’t be as affected by the presence of the resort. You can see the concept art of the new traffic circle above, which includes bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings, as well as what looks like a dedicated lane for guests traveling to the resort by bus. The latter would be an interesting development all by itself thanks to a long-rumored transportation addition that has yet to be officially confirmed…
3. Will there be dedicated bus lanes on all the new roads as well?
This dedicated bus lane that is pictured in the traffic circle concept art has been rumored for some time, and many are hoping that it will extend to other areas along the route from the current Universal Resort to Epic Universe, similar to the dedicated bus lanes at Walt Disney World around Disney Springs.
Though Universal hasn’t exactly clarified if they will have their own lanes for transportation just yet on the Kirkman Road extension or on the other roads that are being built, it seems increasingly likely that Universal will go this route, especially because the resort has said they are committed to being a “good neighbor” to those around them.
Dedicated bus lanes could ensure that traffic doesn’t pile up on these busy, local roads, and while there would need to be heavy cooperation from the local government, if Universal could make it happen, it would be a big win for locals.
4. Construction is well underway on all facets of the transportation plan
Those who drive down International Drive in Orlando right now can see that significant construction work for the project is already underway on all facets of this new transportation strategy, including the road extensions, new roads, and the traffic circle.
Construction crews are racing against the clock, as the transportation elements are due to be finished by late 2024, before the new park’s grand opening in 2025. Of course, in Florida, construction delays can come from all directions, and if we see an active hurricane season again in 2023 or 2024 it could delay things. However, hopefully, there are contingencies built into the plans if something like that occurs.
Universal’s third major theme park is racing along in development and construction, with new attractions, shops, dining establishments, and more all taking shape behind construction barriers on Universal Boulevard. And while guests are understandably excited to experience all that this brand-new extension of Universal Orlando Resort has to offer when it opens in 2025, it is important that guests are able to get to this new location easily without much hassle.
Fortunately, it looks like Universal’s transportation plans are coming along quite nicely. With new roads, an elevated traffic circle, and dedicated bus lanes, guests will be able to move between Universal’s three main theme parks as well as its dozen resorts with ease when it opens in just two years.
