OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – The Osceola County Commission voted on a contract that would provide funding on a project meant to improve safety on Marigold Avenue.
The commission voted on an agreement at its Monday meeting between the county and the Florida Department of Transportation, where FDOT will provide more than $8 million in funding for the construction of the project.
The project came as a result of a traffic study conducted by FDOT in 2020.
FDOT looked at four intersections along Marigold Avenue:
- Peabody Road and Marigold Avenue
- Laurel Road and Marigold Avenue
- San Miguel Road and Marigold Avenue
- San Lorenzo Road and Marigold Avenue
The study found that from January to March 2019, there were 107 crashes at all four intersections combined. Seventy of those crashes were injury crashes that resulted in 149 injuries.
[EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos]
Following the study, FDOT recommended a new northbound left-turn lane at San Miguel Road and three new roundabouts at Peabody Road, Laurel Road and San Lorenzo Road.
News 6 Traffic Safety Expert Steven Montiero said he’s not surprised by those numbers.
“I spent several years as a road trooper assigned right here in Osceola County,” Montiero said. “I can tell you right now: I was call-to-call in the community of Poinciana. It never stopped.”
The project is intended to improve safety — an important goal considering the area is mainly residential with several nearby schools, including Deerwood Elementary.
“The goal of these specific roundabouts is to slow down the traffic out there,” Montiero said. “Poinciana has an aggressive driving problem. I’ll say it. And to put these and the county commissioners to place these out there, that’s kind of a big deal.”
The county later released a statement, saying, “The Board of County Commissioners continues to work with partners to make the community safer for all. The Marigold Project is an efforts to identify any improvements that address existing crash patterns and potentially reduce the frequency and severity of future crashes. Board approval pending, means that construction is anticipated to begin early next year.”
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: