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Apopka wins $17.3 million federal BUILD grant for Koyapopka Road complete-streets project
Summary
The City of Apopka announced a $17.3 million BUILD grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to rebuild Koyapopka Road between Harmon Road and South Hawthorne Avenue into a four‑lane divided corridor with multimodal facilities; the city must provide a 20% match and expects design, right‑of‑way work and construction to take several years.
Apopka announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the city $17,300,000 through the BUILD program to fund a complete‑streets reconstruction of Koyapopka Road from Harmon Road to South Hawthorne Avenue.
The award "is a major milestone for the City of Apopka," Jean Sanchez, community development staff, told the council during a presentation by consultant Kimley‑Horn. The project will add lanes, a median, multimodal paths and stormwater ponds, and will be designed to serve anticipated growth in the area.
Why it matters: the corridor is currently two lanes with limited sidewalks and documented flooding. The grant money is federal and triggers federal project delivery requirements; the city must follow the Project Development & Environment (PD&E) process, complete design, and acquire right‑of‑way before construction can begin. Kimley‑Horn estimated a construction window that could put substantial completion many years out — the consultant cited a notional target of about 2032 if everything proceeds smoothly.
Project scope and public engagement: Kimley‑Horn representatives said the application was strengthened by three public meetings, online engagement and a benefit‑cost ratio of roughly 2.3 submitted with the grant. Laura Wittenbauer of Kimley‑Horn credited the city’s public outreach and letters of support from local elected leaders and regional partners for helping win the award.
Local match and budget effects: The presentation noted the federal award requires a 20% local match, which the consultants and staff calculated at about $4,300,000. Staff told council that the match and related budget decisions will be considered in the FY 2025‑26 budget process. City staff also said elements such as right‑of‑way acquisition and pond siting were currently preliminary and will be refined in PD&E.
Timeline and constraints: Mike Woodward, transportation engineer with Kimley‑Horn, told the council the PD&E, design, right‑of‑way acquisition and construction sequence is typical for federally funded projects and can require multiple years of review and approvals. "When the federal government is involved, of course, you have to follow federal rules" that add review cycles, he said, and noted construction itself might run about 12 months but planning and ROW steps extend the schedule.
Next steps and counsel to council: staff said the next actions include completing the federal agreement, beginning the PD&E public involvement and initiating design and right‑of‑way work as allowed by the grant. Council members asked for a copy of the project timeline and clarification about the 20% match; staff confirmed the match figure and said the administration would bring funding options into upcoming budget discussions.
Background: the BUILD program (formerly RAISE) funds surface‑transportation projects that demonstrate benefits such as congestion relief, safety and economic development. The city presentation identified Koyapopka Road improvements as addressing congestion, safety and lack of pedestrian and bicycle facilities along a growing corridor.
