Local

Lake Underhill construction adding to traffic nightmare in east Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. — Alafaya Trail in eastern Orlando has been under construction for years and now crews are ripping up nearby Lake Underhill Road.

What used to be some of the most desirable suburban living in Orange County has now become known as an inescapable traffic nightmare for residents of the Waterford area and Avalon Park.

Lake Underhill Road is failing, according to county leaders, due to heavy traffic.

That traffic is the result of building thousands of new homes in Avalon Park without building enough roadway to get there, authorities said.

County leaders said the current construction was scheduled around the school year and two schools sit on part of Lake Underhill.

But even without school traffic, the county's neglect of traffic issues has left the community with a bad reputation that likely won't go away anytime soon.

The bottom line is, when it comes to commuting from Waterford and Avalon Park, it's going to be years before these neighborhoods will offer a pleasant drive to work, according to Channel 9's Steve Barrett.