Official photo
By Christine Moore, Orange County District 2 Commissioner
I must mention a few things about sidewalks and projects in Apopka. I hope you read in the first column about the importance of contiguous sidewalks for safety. I also hope you enjoyed hearing about Lockhart’s success.
These roadway and sidewalk safety principles are known as Vision Zero. They are being implemented nationwide. Sidewalks are the lowest cost method of reducing fatalities and serious injuries.
Please remember, the county cannot build sidewalks in the city limits. Even on functionally classified roads such as Apopka Boulevard, portions of Sheeler Road, etc. Only drainage and pavement responsibilities belong to the county. Trees and sidewalk responsibilities are retained by the city.
HOAs also have a responsibility to maintain trees in front of their subdivisions. We had one subdivision which refused to maintain their trees and thankfully the Apopka Firefighter Union assisted me in their stead.
I did have one Apopka neighborhood strongly against the installation of sidewalks. Eighty percent of the residents signed a petition against them. Therefore, their funding was shifted to another willing Apopka subdivision. In six years, the county completed installation in four very large unincorporated Apopka subdivisions: Lake Mendelin, Northcrest, Wekiwa Manor and Breezy Heights.
South Apopka has also received significant sidewalk improvements. In 2019, after an areawide study, all the existing South Apopka sidewalks were repaired. If you still need repairs, contact 311.
New sidewalks were installed along 13th Street from Brixton Landing all the way to Ocoee-Apopka Road. Also, streets around Phillis Wheatley Elementary School have received improvements. On a side note, the West Orange Trail was also resurfaced.
Several individual Apopka area streets were improved. These include Victor (near Roger Williams Road), and Thompson Road in the Wekiwa Springs area.
I must add that Rock Springs Road (north of Welch), Apopka Boulevard and Mt. Plymouth Road received LED streetlights. Lighting is also key to reducing accidents.
Now for the list of what is planned for future budget years in the Apopka area: Portions of Plymouth Sorrento and Highland through Old Plymouth, Welch Road (Wekiva Woods to Ustler), and a new bike trail connecting the West Orange Trail with Wekiwa Springs State Park along Welch Road is in design. I must confess I wish they were all funded sooner, but there are five other commissioners.
I hope you support the benefits of sidewalks for safety and revitalization. Together, we can be a part of improving all of District 2.
Editor’s note: This is the third in a three-part series.
