FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 13, 2008
Contact: Mary Brooks
Public Information Officer
Hotline: 407-702-8375
Fax: 407-381-9038
E-mail: MBrooksSR414@cfl.rr.com
TRAFFIC SET TO SHIFT ONTO NEW US HIGHWAY 441 LANES & CONNECTOR ROAD
AS PART OF SR 414 – JOHN LAND APOPKA EXPRESSWAY PROJECT
APOPKA, Fla. _ Motorists are advised that traffic is scheduled the night of Sunday, July 20 to shift onto the new southbound U.S. Highway 441 lanes at Maitland Boulevard as part of the State Road 414-John Land Apopka Expressway project. The traffic shift, scheduled from 8 p.m. – 6 a.m., also will open access to the new connector road between US 441 and Apopka Boulevard.
Following the shift, crews will demolish temporary pavement and continue drainage work in that area. Please be advised that construction schedules are highly subject to change due to weather, underground conflicts, equipment issues, and other unforeseen circumstances.
Also on project Section 211 – from where Maitland Boulevard ends at US 441 to east of Hiawassee Road – the contractor, Hubbard Construction Co., continues setting beams on the viaduct bridge east of Overland Road. Crews next week are scheduled to pour bridge deck, as well as continue to form and pour concrete bridge columns and caps. Work continues to place fill along SR 414, install fence, as well as install drainage lines and excavate retention ponds.
On project Section 210 – from east of Hiawassee Road to west of County Road 435 (Clarcona Road) – crews are scheduled the week of July 28 to pave the new SR 414 lanes from Lakeville to Hiawassee Road, and to pave ramps at Keene Road and Hiawassee Road. Also that week motorists should be alert for intermittent lane closures and flaggers on Lakeville Road.
Drivers on Keene Road also will see continued intermittent flagmen from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. for bridge work in the weeks to come.
0A
The contractor, Ranger Construction Industries, has temporarily closed the northbound and southbound inside lanes of Hiawassee Road for the rest of the summer to allow bridge work. Workers are scheduled to open the lanes before school resumes in the fall. Crews are scheduled at night to close Hiawassee Road at the SR 414 crossing July 20-23 and July 27-31 from 8:30 p.m.-6:30 a.m. to apply finish to walls and work on bridge deck pans. Drivers may take Beggs Road or Apopka Boulevard to Lakeville Road to bypass the closure.
Crews continue to place limerock in the road base, as well as to install barrier wall, guardrail and other safety railing, pour light pole foundations, pour concrete bridge footers, install drainage and finish retention ponds, place sod, build retaining walls, install fence and lighting.
The Expressway Authority has begun a new project section on SR 429 (Daniel Webster Western Beltway) from Marshall Road to US 441. The contractor, Emerald Utilities and Site Development, Inc., on project Section 200-B began the new SR 429 and US 441 interchange improvements this week. Work will relocate the southbound SR 429 access for northbound US 441 vehicles next to the northbound SR 429 access lanes and reconfigure that intersection. This will ultimately allow two-way traffic through this intersection once the extension is punched through to Vick Road.
Workers are scheduled to switch SR 429 northbound traffic onto temporary lanes in mid-August to allow crews to work on the existing road base. The project should take approximately 16 months to complete.
On project Section 200-C – a half mile connector road from west of CR 435 to CR 437A (Ocoee-Apopka Road) and SR 414 ramps to SR 429 – the contractor, Johnson Brothers Construction Co., this week installed beams on the new Marden Road bridge. Crews continue work on the Hawthorne Avenue bridge deck, as well as working on drainage and the road base for the connector road to
CR 437A.
On project Section 212, which includes the mainline Express Lane plaza west of CR 435 and ramp t oll plazas at Keene and Hiawassee roads, Southland Construction Inc. is working on the Coral Hills Main Plaza administration building and other structures, including foundations, roof slabs, stairs and plumbing and electrical work. The mainline plaza will allow E-PASS customers to pay tolls electronically at the posted highway speed. Crews have been working on the foundations for the Keene Road ramp plazas and on the Hiawassee Road on- and off-ramp plazas.
The Expressway Authority is phasing the nine-mile toll road due to increased construction costs and land values. As many as 37,700 vehicles per day are expected to travel the six-laned, 5.5-mile first phase of the expressway when it opens in summer 2009. That traffic is expected to increase to 65,000 vehicles a day in 2029. Phase II will extend from SR 429 to the west and north to US 441 near Plymouth Sorrento Road, and will be built when funding becomes available.
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, established in 1963 by the state legislature, is responsible for the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a 100-mile limited-access expressway system to serve the metropolitan Orlando area. The Expressway Authority's system includes SR 408 (East-West Expressway), SR 528 (Beachline Expressway), SR 417 (Central Florida GreeneWay), and SR 429 (Daniel Webster Western Beltway).
The Expressway Authority was the first to bring Electronic Toll Collectio n to Florida with the inception of E-PASS in 1994. Today, there are more than 490,000 E-PASS transponders in use.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Public Information Officer Mary Brooks at © 407-702-8375, send e-mail to MBrooksSR414@cfl.rr.com, via fax at 407-381-9038, or send mail to 10151 University Blvd., Ste. 222, Orlando, FL 32817.