Marden Road closing for roundabout construction

What is a roundabout?

The Apopka City Council voted 5-0 at their Wednesday meeting to temporarily close Marden Road in order to complete the construction of two roundabouts.

According to the City Council agenda packet, MMI Development has begun construction of the new State Road 414 Interchange project at Marden Road, which will result in two new roundabouts. One will be positioned on both the north and south sides of the SR414 overpass on Marden Road.

A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic flows almost continuously in one direction around a central island.

Modern roundabouts require entering traffic to give way to traffic already in the circle and optimally observe various design rules to increase safety. Compared to stop signs, traffic signals, and earlier forms of roundabouts, modern roundabouts reduce the likelihood and severity of collisions by reducing traffic speeds and minimizing T-bone and head-on collisions. Variations on the basic concept include integration with tram and/or train lines, two-way flow, higher speeds and many others.

Typical vehicle movement within a modern roundabout.

To reduce construction time, MMI made a request to temporarily close Marden Road both north and south of the overpass.

To best accomplish this request the following requirements have been proposed:

• Two Variable Message Signs will be placed on Marden Road a minimum of two weeks before the closure identifying the dates that the road will be closed. The VMS Boards will be located north and south of the overpass.
• VMS will also be placed on Ocoee Apopka Road and Keene Road in various locations near Marden Road warning motorists of impending and actual road closure.
• Multiple Detour Signs will be installed per the attached plans during construction when Marden Road is closed.

The closure would begin on Wednesday, February 15th, and re-open to public traffic on or before Wednesday, May 17th.