The planned safety enhancements for a troubled stretch of S.R. 426 have been adjusted with a cost-saving measure meant to reallocate city funds to additional improvements.
The S.R. 426 Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation project is the result of a grassroots effort by residents to install speed management and pedestrian safety devices between Park and Lakemont avenues. Numerous public meetings and city workshops resulted in a list of improvements that will be made during an FDOT resurfacing project scheduled to begin in August of 2025. The safety measures include:
- raised brick intersections
- high visibility crosswalks
- enhanced bus stop markings
The City of Winter Park has committed $1.8 million to support the project, currently estimated at $10 million, but commissioners approved an amended version of the raised intersection design that uses asphalt instead of brick paving.
Raised intersections act as speed tables with the center portion between 3-4 inches higher than the surrounding street. Speed limits through the corridor will be between 25-30 MPH and the raised intersections will be installed at Chase and Ollie avenues, Cortland Avenue, Trismen Terrace, Shephard Avenue and Sylvan Drive, and Phelps Avenue. According to Public Works & Transportation Department engineer Hongmyung Lim, the switch to asphalt would not affect the performance of the design. Substituting the brick pavement also means the intersections would be maintained by FDOT.
The estimated $611,000 cost of raising the intersections would be significantly decreased without bricks, leaving the unused funds for other safety measures such as a traffic signal at the intersection of Aloma and Cortland avenues. “They are currently in the survey phase,” said Lim of FDOT’s progress on the traffic signal. “Once they enter the full design phase they’ll be coordinating with the City of Winter Park on all the elements.”
The resident-led coalition responsible for the project has also approved the substitution of the brick elements in favor of reallocating funding to the traffic signal, which could cost up to $800,000. Additional project updates and items for approval will be presented to City Commission in the coming months.
The Public Works & Transportation Department has also been assessing brick depressions and potholes throughout the city. Crews are currently completing fixes along Interlachen Avenue and drivers are asked to exercise caution around job sites.
