FLORIDA — In the last two days, there have been two separate crashes on State Road 417 in Central Florida. Both crashes involved the drivers crossing the median into oncoming traffic because there were no guardrails.
Channel 9's Racquel Asa found out the Florida Department of Transportation recently installed 5 miles of guardrail on State Road 417 between Airport Boulevard and Town Center Road, in Lake Mary. More guardrails will be added in 2021.
However in Orange County, a spokesperson for the Central Florida Expressway Authority told Eyewitness News there are no plans to add guardrails along its portion of the 417 because the median is 64 feet wide.
Industry standards don't require guardrails for medians that wide, and the Expressway Authority spokesperson told Eyewitness News that adding guardrails when they’re not warranted is a liability if someone is hurt.
The Expressway Authority told Eyewitness News that it typically adds guardrails if it starts to see crashes increase in an area.
It has not noticed an increase where Tuesday’s deadly crash occurred on the 417 by John Young Parkway, in Orange County.
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