On a Monday evening at Corrine Drive and Winter Park Road, vendor tents go up in the lot at Stardust Video & Coffee. A mile west, crews at Harry P. Leu Gardens are finishing a 50-foot snowman for the Rose Garden. Both spots are on the list of places the City of Orlando wants a contractor to rebuild, and bids for that work are due Nov. 19.
The city released solicitation IFB27-0003, titled "Virginia Dr., Forest Dr., and Corrine Dr., Complete Streets Project," on its OpenGov procurement portal on Monday, Oct. 19, 2026. Bids are due Thursday, Nov. 19, at 2 p.m. The optional pre-bid meeting was set for Oct. 29, and bidder questions close Nov. 5. The blocks and intersections in the bid's work list are the same ones that host the neighborhood's November and December calendar.
What the Bid Package Actually Covers
The city's project page describes about 2.6 miles of road, from Orange Avenue to Bennett Road. It says design is complete and the project is fully funded. The route runs on three streets. It follows Virginia Drive from N. Orange Avenue to Forest Avenue, takes Forest Avenue from Virginia to Corrine, and then follows Corrine Drive from Forest to Bennett Road. That definition comes from the June 22, 2026 City Council agenda item approving the construction funding agreement.
The scope in that agenda item is more specific than "streetscape improvements":
- Roadway reconstruction at Virginia Drive and N. Fern Creek Avenue, and at Forest Avenue and Nebraska
- Full-depth reclamation on Virginia from N. Mills Avenue to about Hampton Avenue, and on Corrine from Meritt Park Drive to General Rees Avenue, with milling and resurfacing everywhere else
- New sidewalks, shared-use paths, curb and gutter, sodded medians, raised crosswalks, a raised intersection, landscaping and storm drainage
- Signal upgrades at Virginia and Mills, Virginia and Fern Creek, Forest and Nebraska, and on Corrine at Bumby Avenue, Winter Park Road, General Rees Avenue and Bennett Road
The total cost is $28,709,450. That includes $8,005,000 in Federal Highway Administration grant money, reimbursed through the Florida Department of Transportation's Local Agency Program. Local funds cover the other $20,704,450, so the city is paying a little over 70 percent itself. According to MAST Newsroom, council approved the agreement unanimously. The outlet also reports that Virginia Drive will drop to one lane in each direction, that some on-street parking will be removed, and that the existing Corrine bike lane will be replaced by a wider shared-use path.
The Calendar From Here
The city's schedule is short. Here is the published sequence, with the dates a contractor is working against:
- Oct. 19, 2026: Solicitation released.
- Nov. 19, 2026: Bids due at 2 p.m.
- January 2027: Construction contract awarded, per the city's current schedule.
- March 2027: Construction begins, per the city's current schedule.
The city hasn't published a phasing plan yet. It has said it will share construction schedules, maintenance-of-traffic plans, access to homes and businesses, and expected impacts as the project gets closer. MAST Newsroom reports that construction should take about three years, with final acceptance targeted for April 3, 2030. If that holds, the next several holiday seasons on Corrine will happen during active construction. That makes the stretch from now to New Year's the last one on the street as it is today.
This Winter's Stops, Mapped to the Work List
Here is where the season's events and errands fall along the corridor. The right-hand column shows what the council scope names for that part of the road.
| Stop | Address | Corridor segment | What the scope names there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens | 1920 N. Forest Ave. | Forest Avenue leg | Reconstruction and signal work at Forest and Nebraska |
| Audubon Park Community Market at Stardust Video & Coffee | 1842 E. Winter Park Rd. | Corrine at Winter Park Road | Signal improvements |
| Frame Masters Gallery, Redlight Redlight, Kelly's Homemade Ice Cream | 2800 and 2810 Corrine Dr. | Corrine commercial blocks | Full-depth reclamation, Meritt Park to General Rees |
| The Lovely Boutique Market, The New Romantics Books, The Salty, The Owl's Attic | 2906 to 3106 Corrine Dr. | Corrine commercial blocks | Same reclamation stretch |
| East End Market | 3201 Corrine Dr. | Corrine commercial blocks | Same reclamation stretch |
The shop addresses come from the Audubon Park Garden District directory, so check hours before you make a special trip. One recent change on the block is that Canine Glamour Club has new owners, Teena and Nim, and Kim is still grooming there.
Forest Avenue: Dazzling Nights Brings the Biggest Crowds
Dazzling Nights draws the biggest crowds of the season to the corridor. It runs at Leu Gardens from Nov. 20, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027, with timed entry starting at 5:30 p.m. Bungalower's preview describes a mile-long walk through the 50-acre garden. Highlights include a 50-foot illuminated snowman in the Rose Garden, a 60-foot tunnel of illuminated poinsettias, choreographed trees at Polar Nights, a new Yeti Mine Adventure for kids, and the returning Twinkle Market.
Leu Gardens lists tickets at $35 to $56 for adults and $33 to $53 for children, plus tax. Prices change by date and entry time, and tickets must be bought online in advance.
Parking matters most if you live on the side streets. The official Dazzling Nights FAQ lists free off-site parking at 266 E. Rollins St., with an ADA-accessible shuttle to the gardens. Valet at Leu costs $49 plus tax. The FAQ also tells guests not to park in the surrounding neighborhood. If you live off Forest, that guidance covers your street. If you're going yourself, the shuttle from Rollins Street keeps another car off Forest Avenue for six weeks.
Corrine and Winter Park Road: Monday Nights
The Audubon Park Community Market runs Mondays from 5 to 8 p.m. in the Stardust Video & Coffee parking lot at 1842 E. Winter Park Rd. It moves indoors when it rains. The market's own directions ask shoppers to use the Audubon Park School evening lot and not to park at ABC Liquors. Its Oct. 19 post listed a regular lineup of produce, baked goods, prepared food and crafts.
The intersection by the market, Corrine at Winter Park Road, is one of the seven signals in the council scope. The crossing nearest the shops has already changed. The city's first Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon is in place on Corrine between East End Avenue and Northwood Terrace Drive. When someone presses the button, it turns red and stops traffic. A little west, Bungalower reported in July that N. Bumby Avenue and Virginia Drive had become an all-way stop. Some of the corridor's safety fixes are already in the ground, and the bid covers the rest.
Corrine and Bennett: Baldwin Park's Calendar
Corrine ends at Bennett Road, and the Corrine and Bennett signal is the last one on the council list. For neighbors near that end of the corridor, Bungalower's Baldwin Park listings show these dates:
- Friday After Five: Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m., Baldwin Park Lake Fountain
- Orlando Jingle Bell Run: Dec. 12 at 8 a.m.
- Baldwin Park Community Market: Merry Movie Night & More: Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m.
A Nov. 21 outdoor movie night with the Baldwin Park Community Market is also listed for 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Its event listing gives two different street addresses, so confirm where it is before you go. Further out, Bungalower reported Oct. 14 that Qreate Coffee plans a Baldwin Park location for winter 2027. No address or opening date has been announced.
Why This Has Taken So Long
The city took over Corrine Drive in 2022. It started with interim resurfacing, accessibility upgrades and pop-up projects, then began formal design for the corridor in late 2024, building on a 2019 study. Bungalower's October 2025 headline on the plans, "We've Waited Since 2015 for a Calmer Corrine," dated the wait more than a decade back. That wait reaches its first contract milestone at 2 p.m. on Nov. 19, the day bids are due. Dazzling Nights opens the next evening at 5:30.
If you own a home along Virginia, Forest or Corrine and want a clear read on its value as the project moves from bid to build, Burningham Realty is glad to help. We follow corridor projects like this block by block. Start with a free home valuation, and we'll keep you posted as the city releases its phasing plans.
