ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – It’s a new year, and East Crown Point Road between Ocoee and Winter Garden is still blocked by barricades. For nearby residents, that continued closure has turned simple errands into daily frustrations.
“What used to take a four- or five-minute trip to the grocery store now takes 15 minutes. You’ve got to go around,” said Guy Maness, who lives near the road.
The detours are also costing drivers more time and money.
Winter Garden resident Rick Tischler says the closure has forced him to change his route. “Now we have to take alternate routes, use a little bit more gas, and pay a little more in tolls,” Tischler said.
[WATCH: Crown Point Road closed due to washout]
Heavy rains in October soaked the neighborhood and damaged pipes beneath the roadway — pipes that Orange County crews had repaired just six months earlier. The damage forced the county to shut the road down for more extensive work, repairs that officials said would take three to four weeks.
Neighbors also say the same road washed out in 2024 after Hurricane Milton.
Following the October collapse, Orange County approved an emergency $485,000 contract to replace the pipes and restore the roadway.
The county now says all drainage work is complete, but cold weather has delayed repaving. If weather conditions cooperate, officials say the road could reopen as early as Wednesday.
Some neighbors are cautiously optimistic.
“I’m trusting that them taking longer this time means they’re doing it right,” Maness said.
Orange County’s full response is below:
“East Crown Point Road was washed out during a significant storm event in late October, which damaged the stormwater infrastructure beneath the roadway. As a result, the road was closed so crews could address the underlying drainage issues before restoring the roadway surface.
“Approximately six months ago, crews attempted to repair the existing stormwater pipes, and those repairs held through much of the rainy season. However, following the October storm event, the pipes failed and collapsed, making it necessary to close the road again for more extensive repairs.
“Orange County moved forward with an emergency contract with Stage Door 2 in the amount of $485,000 to replace the failed pipes and restore the roadway. The drainage work has now been completed, and crews are in the final stages of road restoration.
“Paving was scheduled to take place today, but temperatures are too cold to pour asphalt. The work has been rescheduled for Monday; however, repaving is dependent on weather conditions.
“We anticipate reopening East Crown Point Road next week.”
Orange County’s Roads & Drainage Division Manager also sent this statement:
“There was a lot of sediment after Hurricane Milton that came from SR429 when the Expressway was doing some drainage work in the area. The sediments forced us to clean out the area and do some repairs on the pipe. There was some washout on the pipe and the road, but we were able to do the repairs with in-house crews. This happened on October 9, 2024.
“Then, back in October 2025, the existing metal pipes collapsed, so we signed an emergency contract to replace the dual 84” metal pipes with dual 84” Reinforced Concrete Pipes. This contract was executed to Stage Door 2 on October 29, 2025.
“The metal pipes had been there for years, so the replacement with RCPs should take care of this problem once and for all.“