ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A project to improve safety along State Road 50 will get underway two years sooner than expected. Orange County commissioners voted Tuesday to speed up the construction timeline for road widening and safety improvements on a stretch of East Colonial Drive. The county decided to partner with FDOT to make it happen.
For years, Channel 9 has reported on the calls for safety improvements after back-to-back crashes.
Some residents said they have been advocating for improvements for over a decade, particularly at the intersection of South Tanner Road and State Road 50. According to MetroPlan Orlando data, there were 51 crashes at that intersection over a five-year period.
All along State Road 50, Crosses and Drive Safely signs are small reminders of lives cut short.
The Florida Department of Transportation is currently working three improvement projects on the highway.
One looks to add an extra lane in each direction, from Avalon Park Boulevard to Chuluota. It’s a stretch of the highway that saw 14 deadly crashes from 2020 to 2024, according to MetroPlan Orlando.
Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad represents the area. She called the road a “lethal stretch” of highway and explained the FDOT project includes safety improvements like signalized intersections, new lighting and sidewalks. But construction wasn’t set to start until 2029 because of funding challenges.
“If we didn’t move forward with this deal, we don’t know when this project would have been executed,” said Martinez Semrad.
On Tuesday, the county voted to give FDOT $20 million to speed up the timeline, with construction now set to begin in 2027.
“Every day that goes by is a day of risk that we see similar accidents occurring over and over,” said Martinez Semrad, “We are grateful that we found a solution.”
The County will be reimbursed for that $20 million payment in quarterly intervals from FDOT, beginning in 2028.
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