FDOT says Orange Blossom Trail overhaul cut crashes, nearly three years with no pedestrian deaths in one mile

The Florida Department of Transportation presented results of an Orange Blossom Trail safety project that FDOT officials said reduced speeds and cut the number of serious pedestrian and bicycle crashes in a one-mile stretch.

FDOT District 5 safety administrator Loreen Bobo told the Transportation Mobility Advisory Commission on Oct. 9 that the corridor was one of Central Florida’s deadliest for people walking and biking until the agency installed a mix of engineering measures, reduced the posted speed and added pedestrian controls.

FDOT said the corridor previously posted 40 mph limits and recorded about two to five pedestrian fatalities a year in the worst years; the agency lowered the posted limit to 35 mph, added raised crosswalks, pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs), in‑road lighting and other speed‑management features and reported nearly three years with zero pedestrian fatalities for that one‑mile segment until a July crash ended that run. Bobo said the project cost about $8.9 million and that the…