ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — You have to pay tolls to drive on the 408, so some drivers say, for their money, they shouldn't be forced to dodge potholes.
In east Orange County, drivers pay 75 cents to drive just a few miles between State Road 50 and Dean Road, but Thursday WFTV found that the costly drive is littered with potholes; some you can't avoid, and others are so big drivers are forced to straddle them, even if it means taking up two lanes.
"I've gone through three tires in the last few months just from pot holes here," driver Shawn Barbosa told WFTV.
Drivers like Barbosa are angry about dumping money into toll receptacles only to drive a damaged road.
"I expect the road to be in good condition," Barbosa said.
The road is falling apart, even in places like the on-ramp from Alafaya Trail.
The stretch of road in disrepair is only about 20 years old, but has been repaved in segments throughout its life. The original cost was $105 million.
Driver Barry Myers says it's the worst road for the money he's seen.
"I travel the country on roads and Orlando is, by far, the worst as far at the toll roads and the condition of the roads for what we pay for," he said.
But it appears drivers will continue to be frustrated, as other segments get overhauls and the eastern extension will have to wait its turn.
WFTV tried to get reaction from the Expressway Authority on Thursday, leaving a number of phone and email messages to officials there, but so far they've given no response as to why that section of road is in such disrepair, and what action drivers can take if their cars are damaged.