Pains continue at Avalon/Schofield intersection

It’s going to take several weeks, but Orange County officials hope the madness at the intersection of Avalon and Schofield roads will be coming to an end soon.

The county currently is in the process of installing permanent traffic lights to replace the temporary signal trailers that have been at the intersection.

However, that installation is causing back-ups and a confusing traffic pattern.

The county expects the installation to be complete next month.

Until then, locals have been plagued with heavier-than-usual traffic, and multiple residents have reported being late to work, school and other activities because of the slowdown.

Others are concerned about safety — especially in cases of emergencies.

“If you’re in a medical emergency, call 911,” District 1 Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson said.  “The reality of it is, with emergency services, they don’t wait in traffic. They can go around, they can go over, they can go through, so call 911. Don’t hit the road yourself.” 

The new signal is being installed to accommodate the future widening of Avalon Road from the four-lane section south of Schofield Road, all the way north to the four-lane section near Porter Road. 

“The Schofield Road intersection has been a safety issue for some time, and that was concerning enough for me to go over it a year ago,” Wilson said. “When Central Florida Expressway Authority came to the (Board of County Commissioners) to ask for permission to utilize that area for 429 extension, (we said) they would need to help us get a permanent structure in place, to get some more permanency. That’s what you’re seeing now, is the movement forward of some of that work.”

While the traffic is frustrating, Wilson reminds residents that the work is being done, the plan is there, and the county is working as hard as possible to complete the work to achieve its goals. 

In the meantime, Wilson suggests a few solutions. 

“I try to set myself a standard of traveling at an off-time, so either I leave for work really, really early, or I try to shoot for those non-peak hours when we know the school buses are not on the road,” she said. 

Wilson also said the county will go through growth pains. 

“There have been times where I tried really hard to actually deny some of those development permits coming through, but your governor, your state Legislature, preempted us from being able to do that,” she said. “The frustrating part for residents and for us is that we can’t stop the growth in time to catch up, and we don’t have an immediate overnight fix. My hope is that if they recently moved the area, that they understand that the area is part of a sector plan that have plans in place, that we will see completed and develop safe transportation once it’s done. But between now and then, I ask for them to stay patient and to stay informed and get the newsletter so they can see when there’s going to be work done.” 

Wilson recommends residents to reach out to state legislators and ask them to allow county governments to control growth. 

“I’m not sure how we can get to the problem if they don’t allow us to say, ‘Hey, we need to stop the growth long enough to get caught up.’ The state won’t let us do that,” she said.