ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Central Florida Expressway Authority took a vote at Thursday's board meeting that showed that it is still committed to extending SR 408 east.
The Florida Department of Transportation decided to not support a plan that would have put the extension alongside Highway 50 because it would cause an unacceptable delay. FDOT officials said it only recently learned of the plan.
Board members said FDOT's claims are false.
"Our staff, as well as FDOT members, have been working together on a PD&E study on the east side of town," said Scott Boyd, the Central Florida Expressway Authority vice chair
Citizens' groups spoke at the meeting and asked members not to give up on the extension. Some residents said they were surprised that there was a rift between the state and local leaders on how to get people from Orlando to Bithlo and back on SR 408.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs told residents that the project isn’t over until it’s over, but the easiest way of building the extension may be off the table.
Previous story: Plans to extend 408 could be dead, leaders say
"As far as the citizens on the east side, we're very much interested in that extension taking place because that would do a tremendous amount to relieve the traffic issues we have out on the east side,” Tom Narut of Save Orange County said.
The board voted unanimously to approve the Expressway Authority’s 20-40 master plan, which makes the extension a top priority.
The previous Expressway Authority’s report on the project from 2008 said, "The Expressway Authority [SHOULD] continue coordination with FDOT on the programmed future widening of SR 50. Officials of the Authority and of FDOT District 5 should continue their briefings on the status of this project."
Also, a presentation on FDOT’s website talked about integrating the projects in 2014. But FDOT told Eyewitness News none of that constitutes evidence of the agency knowing the Expressway Authority intended to build on 50’s right of way.
A spokesperson countered with an email written in April by an Expressway Authority contractor acknowledging that the Expressway Authority “realizes they are late to the game.”
Late Thursday FDOT said in a statement:
Working out the details of potential access to FDOT right of way requires detailed and high-level coordination. Eight year old meeting minutes from a body that is no longer in existence (OOCEA) and a sign in sheet from a public meeting showing program level FDOT staff as being in attendance does not constitute notification of a desire to build a highway on FDOT property.
As you can see from the attached email from CFX's project manager for the 408 extension from April of this year, CFX clearly acknowledges that they are "late to the game" on this and that CFX had yet to reach out to FDOT leadership to begin conversations on this complex issue.
Cox Media Group
