The Florida Department of Transportation intends to modify an intersection in Orange City to make it safer for motorists and pedestrians.
The state agency will spend almost $2 million to make changes to the intersection of U.S. Highway 17-92 and Enterprise Road.
“Construction is probably going to start about 2025,” Becky Davis, a professional engineer and the design project manager, told The Beacon. “We’re in the early design phase. That will wrap up in December 2024.”
The construction will include replacing the current northbound right-turn lane from Enterprise Road onto U.S. 17-92 with two dedicated right-turn lanes for merging onto the highway. There will also be a right-turn lane for entering the shopping center.
“We’re adding another crosswalk on the highway,” Davis said.
The purpose of the changes is to make the convergence of the roads less dangerous for those passing by the intersection or through it on wheels or on foot.
Data collected by Traffic Engineering Data Solutions Inc., a consultant working with the FDOT, found there were 59 accidents within the intersection in the seven years between 2013 and the end of 2019. One of the accidents was deadly for a bicyclist, who, according to the data summary, may have been moving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision.
Within the same study period, 24 other people were injured.
Other findings included:
— Of the 59 accidents, 45 occurred during the day, and 14 happened at night.
— Fifty-three of the accidents were on dry pavement, and six took place on wet pavement.
— Besides the bicyclist killed in the accident noted above, a pedestrian moving southbound in a motorized wheelchair was crossing Enterprise Road when he “failed to yield to a southbound vehicle left-turning vehicle,” whose driver had a green light to move, according to the summary.
Also, the study noted an eastbound pedestrian crossing the highway north of Enterprise Road sustained incapacitating injuries when he was hit by a southbound vehicle. That victim, the summary noted, may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
— Thirty-three of the accidents were rear-end collisions, while 10 were side-swipe contacts. One of the accidents was a head-on collision, and two were angle crashes.
CHANGE IS ON THE WAY — Pictured in this graphic are the Florida Department of Transportation’s plans to improve the intersection at Enterprise Road and U.S. Highway 17-92 in Orange City. The intersection has been the site of numerous traffic incidents, a study examining traffic data from 2013-2019 found, including 33 rear-end collisions and 10 sideswipes. Construction at the intersection is expected to begin around early 2025.
Prior to the FDOT’s decision to modify the U.S. 17-92/Enterprise Road intersection, there was talk about replacing the signalized intersection with a roundabout.
The FDOT estimates the cost of the intersection design at $556,000. Two consulting firms are involved in the design: Moffatt & Nichol are handling the roadway and traffic-control design, while Faller Davis & Associates are in charge of the lighting.
The FDOT already has sufficient right of way for the project, so no additional property must be acquired.
The construction of the additional lanes and related improvements is now estimated at $1.4 million.
