ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The long-awaited widening of Alafaya Trail started Wednesday. Crews broke ground on a $30 million project that will expand the busy road to four lanes south of Curry Ford Road.
The project took so long to get off the ground, some business owners left the area.
"I'm sure everybody agrees that this is a $30 million road project that is long overdue," Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs said Wednesday.
There is little disagreement on that subject. Alafaya Trail became one of the worst signs of over-development, and for nearly a decade has created traffic gridlock during east Orange County rush hours.
Now, with a traditional groundbreaking, drivers were given the good news they've waited for.
"It's just too small. I've been here seven years and there has never been enough room for the traffic going up and down Alafaya," resident Shelley Overton said.
"I think it's really congested because it gets really congested in the morning, but it's going to be a pain in the process," resident Sara Rose said.
That process starts right away. It's an expansion that will take more than two years to complete.
This is the end of the line for the 4-lane version of Alafaya Trail, and the 2-lane stretch goes on for miles. The problem is county leaders allowed thousands and thousands of homes to be built there.
The widened road will feed Eastwood, Stoneybrooke East and Avalon Park, which are home to about 75,000 people.
Unfortunately, the road did not come quickly enough for many businesses.
"We've had businesses open along the way under the promise that it was going to be open years ago. People put their life savings into businesses that have now gone out of business and are empty storefronts," Orange County Commissioner Jennifer Thompson said.
With construction, traffic is likely to get worse before it gets better. The construction project is set to be complete before the end of 2013, but Wednesday, the Mayor suggested it may take longer if there are unexpected construction delays.
The Semoran Business Partnership Membership meeting is on Thursday, February 17 at 8:00am at the Denny's restaurant, located at 440 S. Semoran Boulevard.