- April 18, 2024
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With the recent growth and development in the area, traversing Silverlake Park Drive in south Orlando has become a nuisance for motorists.
Morning commutes on the road are particularly awful, as the road’s roundabout is included in a school zone and traffic tends to back up, area residents shared on the Nextdoor social-media network.
To escape the traffic congestion, some drivers cut through neighborhoods, such as the Newbury Park townhouse complex, some said.
Some fear the resulting traffic will lead to a fatal crash. That fear is why discussion on reopening the old Reams Road corridor between Delmar Avenue and County Road 535 has resurfaced, said resident Kevin Macleod.
Years ago, Macleod proposed the idea of reopening the road to allow traffic to reach 535 and make a right turn. The issue has seen renewed interest, he said.
“I made a post on NextDoor nearly two years ago about the issue,” Macleod said. “Originally, there wasn’t much interest, because there weren’t that many people living in the area, but the post was revived lately. ... There’s been a lot of responses and many seem to think it’s a solid idea, but I don’t know if we’re going to get any pushback from Orange County on it. So I’m first going to go to the commissioners and talk to them about the proposal and see what they think.”
The road used to feed traffic to 535 before it was closed about three or four years ago, Macleod said. He doesn’t know why Orange County decided to close the road, but he and others believe reopening would help reduce congestion on Silverlake Park Drive during peak traffic times.
“When we’re all forced into that school zone, it becomes a problem,” Macleod said. “In the mornings, when all the kids are going to school and everyone’s going to work, the traffic backs up big time there for at least a quarter mile. And from what I understand, there’s also been a lot of accidents at that (roundabout) because some people don’t get the idea of how to use a traffic circle.”
