County releases Choleota Road corridor analysis, recommends four-lane build with targeted roundabout to address safety; $10.9M funding gap noted

Orange County public-works staff presented a multi-year corridor study and a Federal Highway Administration-aligned Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) for Choleota Road (State Road 50 north to Lake Pickett Road) on April 22, recommending four-lane widening with a roundabout at Longboat Lane and targeted intersection upgrades to improve safety, add pedestrian facilities and reduce high-crash hot spots.

What staff presented - Scope and analysis: County engineers and consultants reviewed crash history, performed ICE stage 1'2 evaluations, modelled multimodal demand and ran traffic simulations (including Synchro) for the corridor's major intersections. The study modeled near-term and 20-year design horizons and reviewed a broad set of alternatives (more than 1,000 scenario permutations) including signals, multi-lane roundabouts, two-lane treatments and a —bow-tie— configuration at one junction. - Safety findings: The corridor study identified 113 crashes in the analyzed period, including 36 injury crashes and a cluster just south of the northern segment; staff said roundabouts statistically reduce severity and conflict points and that the selected plan most effectively balances safety, operations and right-of-way impacts. - Recommended option: The county recommended a four-lane corridor section with 11-foot lanes, a center median and pedestrian/bicycle accommodations, and a single-lane roundabout at Longboat Lane, along with signal and turn-lane improvements at the southern intersections near Corner Lake Drive and Cypress Lake Boulevard. The ICE analysis supported signal or roundabout options at different intersections and staff selected the package they judged to be the best balance of safety and cost. - Cost and funding: Staff estimated a total cost of roughly $70.3 million (including contingencies). The county currently has approximately $59.5 million identified from existing capital program funds, Infrastructure Investment program dollars and proportionate developer contributions, leaving an estimated funding gap of about $10.9 million. Staff said the project is in the county's capital plan and requested direction to proceed with design, additional public outreach and right-of-way acquisition.

Public involvement and next steps Staff conducted extensive outreach: 28 stakeholder meetings, four public meetings, mailings to more than 12,000 addresses, online materials and a public survey. Commissioners asked staff to do additional community briefings, particularly in District 5 and adjacent neighborhoods, and asked staff to further coordinate with Orange County Public Schools on traffic patterns around East River High School and bus operations. The board asked staff to work with the district commissioner on a public meeting before scheduling the project for a public hearing and a decision on corridor approval.

Why it matters: The corridor has long been on the county's long-range plan and county staff said congestion would reach an unacceptable level in the 2035'2038 horizon if not addressed. The study prioritized safety, multimodal access and limited property impacts by focusing improvements where crash history and projections showed meaningful benefit.

Next steps Staff will: (1) schedule an additional community meeting at the district commissioner's request; (2) continue design refinement and right-of-way planning; and (3) return with a public hearing date and final recommended alternative after the additional outreach. The board did not yet vote to adopt a final plan but directed staff to proceed with the next public-engagement and design steps.