C.R. 535/S.R. 429 interchange among local improvements

WINTER GARDEN — The Central Florida Expressway Authority board approved several improvements to State Road 429 at its interchange with County Road 535 (Winter Garden-Vineland Road) and Stoneybrook West Parkway during its July meeting. The chief improvement will be an added westbound lane from where Stoneybrook West Parkway passes under State Road 429 to a nearby tollbooth, about a one-half-mile strip that could be open by mid-November, said Ben Dreiling, CFX director of construction and maintenance.

Construction and installation processes in this area will begin in mid-September, he said.

“This area currently backs up as a p.m. peak,” he said. “Some of the problems that cause backup are not really related to the expressway but further down with the green time at the signal at (County Road) 535 and Stoneybrook West Parkway. This project takes care of the authority’s responsibilities related to that backup.”

The authority’s goal is to provide safer conditions for exiting traffic with this project, for which Southland Construction Company’s $2.042 million bid was accepted, Dreiling said. That contract calls for a term of 180 days with a 60-day “flex start,” but Dreiling is hoping it will be done within 150 days, he said.

Other improvements include milling and resurfacing, reconstruction of gore areas, relocating light poles and installing structure and overhead signs.

For its part, Winter Garden will have crews working on traffic at this junction, too.

“The widening of (State Road) 535 north of (State Road) 429 is scheduled by the city of Winter Garden,” Dreiling said. “Additionally, the Stoneybrook West Parkway is getting an additional right-turn lane; it would be southbound on Stoneybrook West Parkway. That’s actually going to be concurrent with our work and is going to increase the amount of throughput through the intersection and alleviate some of the congestion.”

Staff reports showed this interchange as one of the eight biggest concerns for CFX among areas in its system.

Staff also said it is looking at a project of about five or six years in the Winter Garden area as growth and the completion of Florida Hospital Winter Garden increase traffic in the area on toll roads.

“You have all that traffic and congestion that’s up there along (State Road) 50 and (U.S. Highway) 192,” said S. Scott Boyd, CFX Board vice chairman and Orange County District 1 commissioner. “I know it’s a priority for Lake County, as well as a number of folks who have been working within the Town Center for Horizon West with all that development that’s taking place there, too. A focus on that will be helpful.”

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MAJOR PROJECTS

In addition to the operational improvements around the State Road 429-County Road 535 interchange, the CFX has State Road 408 from Good Homes Road in Ocoee to Hiawassee Road as a project affecting West Orange County roads.

Here are other improvements in Central Florida listed as major projects in the 2016-20 Five-Year Plan:

• State Road 408 from State Road 417 to Alafaya Trail

• State Road 528 from Narcoossee Road to State Road 41

• State Road 417 from Econ Trail to County Line

• Westbound ramp modification from State Road 417 to State Road 528

• State Road 417/Boggy Creek Road

• State Road 528/Innovation Way

• State Road 408 at the Interstate 4 Ultimate Project

• State Road 528 Airport Toll Plaza demolition

• Toll collection system upgrade

• Milling and resurfacing

• Bridge replacement and improvement on State Road 528

• Wekiva Parkway construction from U.S. Highway 441 to State Road 46

• Multimodal corridor right-of-way

The estimated total cost of these major projects is $1.179 billion, about $230 million of which will go toward State Road 408 at the Interstate 4 Ultimate Project. Wekiva Parkway construction will cost about $423.7 million.

For more information, visit cfxway.com.

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Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].