$2M upgrade includes structural repairs, aesthetic improvements
By Teresa Sargeant
Reporter
The city and county will celebrate the grand reopening of Apopka’s nearly 20-year-old West Orange Trail (WOT) Bridge, which Orange County refurbished to make it safer and more enjoyable for travelers to use.
The celebration will begin at 9:30 a.m. on May 31 at the WOT bridge, located at the U.S. 441/Orange Blossom Trail at South Forest Avenue in Apopka. Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and Orange County District 2 Christine Moore will be in attendance.
The $2 million bridge renovation, which started in October and finished in April, included structural repairs such as the replacement of metal and aesthetic improvements including the trimming of palm trees, pressure washing and painting the bridge trim.
The project’s goal was to enhance the trail’s safety and attractiveness and encourage more cyclists and pedestrians to use it, including schoolchildren and athletes.
“My goal with this event is to activate that bridge and find more families utilizing and children using the bridge,” Moore said. “It would be a great route for the middle school kids to take to Apopka [Memorial] Middle [School]. It’s much safer than going along Park Avenue.”
The WOT Bridge refurbishment was part of the $4.5 million overhaul for the estimated 22-mile West Orange Trail, which stretches from the Killarney Station west of Oakland to Welch Road in Apopka. Money for this came from the Orange County Parks and Recreation budget. Wayfinding signs along the trail were funded by a grant.
The 30-year-old trail received over 20 miles of new asphalt as well as edging for erosion control.
“It’s clean, it’s inviting, it’s safe, and there’s no more – a lot of the asphalt was cracked all the way down, and there’s no cracking, because it’s all fresh asphalt,” Moore said.
The May 31 reopening event will include several activities such as a run, walk and bike ride led by the Apopka Run Club, a workout with Core Body FX, student artwork of the bridge, and refreshments.
There will be a ribbon cutting and a drone photo of the group atop the West Orange Bridge.
Moore said she will work with an Apopka High School athletic director for athletic teams to use the WOT Bridge route as part of their fall season conditioning.
She said she hopes that travelers on the Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail would use the West Orange Trail. The Florida Coast-to-Coast Trail is a 250-mile multi-modal trail that’s currently 88% finished and spans from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast. For the last couple of months, Moore and local students have been overhauling what the commissioner calls Apopka Passage, an area by the Solaris Healthcare facility and the dog parks near the city skate park, where the group did pressure washing and painted blocks.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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