By Mickenzie Hannon, Interning Correspondent
The CFX 2045 Metro Master Plan is well underway and will include many infrastructure improvements, including transit alternatives to Central Florida communities.
During the Apopka City Council meeting last Wednesday, Mayor Bryan Nelson and city commissioners weighed-in on Central Florida Expressway Authority’s (CFX) 2045 Master Plan, a comprehensive “visionary blueprint for system improvements and new projects” that will impact Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties by 2045.
CFX Director of Engineering Will Hawthorne led the CFX 2045 Master Plan presentation to gain input from government leaders and community members regarding new developments in Central Florida.
Many of the infrastructure plans outlined in the Master Plan involve changes and advancements to Central Florida transportation and roads, and will affect the commute of Apopka residents as early as this year.
Included in the Master Plan is the addition of express lanes to Interstate 4. There will be two express toll lanes in each direction on I-4 that drivers can use at an additional cost.
Hawthorne also explained the development of a 414 elevated expressway extension and direct connection to I-4. Implementing this, Hawthorne said, will maintain local connectivity.
“You kind of get lost over there because it goes into I-4 and it goes into Maitland," Apopka City Commissioner Diane Velazquez said. "It's really a cluster there."
By making the changes to the 414, Hawthorne anticipates local residents will benefit from less traffic and travel time.
“At least 70% of that traffic is just passing through, and the locals have to deal with all that. So if we can get that out of their road, that frees up their commute and lessens their travel time,” he said.
Hawthorne also addressed plans to widen roads on the 429 and 417 to prevent traffic congestion. Widening efforts will begin later this year and are expected to end in late 2023.
“With the growth of the Sanford Airport and a lot more travel going there, it would just be nice to have a way to get over there. So if that 414 can connect at least directly to I-4… that definitely is a welcomed plan,” Apopka City Commissioner Doug Bankson said.
Following the 2045 Metro Master Plan presentation, Nelson suggested the addition of a cloverleaf and more on-ramps near the AdventHealth hospital in Apopka. A cloverleaf is a highway interchange between two highways, one crossing over the other, and has loop ramps, which resemble a four-leaf clover. “We have off-ramps, but we would like to build and look at some way of adding some additional on-ramps to get onto the expressway,” Nelson suggested.
Commissioner Alexander H. Smith also suggested a potential flyover, or an overpass, with SR 441 through Apopka.
During the presentation, Hawthorne highlighted the 2040 Master Plan Signature Projects, including the Brightline high-speed railway. Based in and operating from Palm Beach and Miami, Brightline is currently expanding into Central Florida and will eventually connect to existing Brightline stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach.
Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore and Velazquez attended a meeting in Lake Nona on Wednesday to receive an update and learn more about the Brightline maintenance facility development.
According to Moore, the Brightline railway line development is 50% finished and trains are expected to be in operation by December 2022.
“Like the 408, it is such a great connector east to west, and to have something on the northern side to do the same would really be great for the long term,” Bankson said.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is also working to expand Sunrail and implement spurs into Central Florida communities, including Apopka.
During a transportation town hall in the West Orange area in Nov. 2019, Demings explained that Sunrail usage would increase if there was east to west connectivity in Central Florida communities. He also anticipated the cost of Sunrail to be “turned over by the state to local parts” by May 2021, which would give Orange County, Osceola County, Seminole County, and the City of Orlando the authority to determine extensions. Development discussions slowed since COVID-19, but Demings is still looking to expand Sunrail and add a connection to the Orlando International Airport.
“That’s where it gets really exciting,” Moore said, “because you can get on the Sunrail in Apopka, go all the way down to the airport and then take Brightline down to Miami.”
“Each one of those spurs to improve the ridership could cost, at best estimate, anywhere from $200 million to $400 million,” Demings said.
The Sunrail extension is in the plan but is currently not funded, according to Moore.
“From an economic standpoint, you can get on the train and eventually go to Tampa, Jacksonville, or Miami and be able to keep working, and it’s very quick, so you would not have to get on a plane. You could get on this high-speed rail and manage to keep working rather than sitting in your car and lose all that productivity with the time you’re driving,” Moore said.
CFX Authority encourages community input through their survey to better determine Central Florida transportation needs, multimodal accommodations, growth and congestion management, and sustainability needs.
