ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – East Crown Point Road is finally back open after months of repairs following severe flooding. This time, Orange County says the fix is built to last. Months of detours and alternate routes are finally over.
Winter Garden resident Rick Tischler says he’s relieved the road has reopened.
“Thank goodness. It’s about time,” Tischler said.
Drivers can once again use East Crown Point Road, including Stacy Radford, who lives nearby.
[PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Washed-out west Orange County road should reopen next week, officials say]
Radford said the closure created daily challenges.
“We’re very excited it’s opened up,” she said. “It definitely blocked access to our closest grocery store.”
The road had been shut down since heavy rains in October soaked and damaged pipes beneath the roadway — pipes that had already been repaired just six months earlier. Despite the frustration, many residents say they’re hopeful this repair will hold.
“Hopefully this time is the last time, and they’ve actually done it right,” Tischler said.
According to Darrell Moody with Orange County Public Works, the initial collapse happened after heavy rains from Hurricane Milton in 2024, when sediment from State Road 429 clogged pipes under East Crown Point Road. Moody said the latest repairs are very different from the previous ones.
[PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Crown Point Road in Ocoee closed due to washout]
“The repairs we made in 2024 are not the repairs that we just made,” he said.
Moody explained that during the October rains, corrugated metal pipes failed, prompting Orange County to approve an emergency $485,000 contract to replace them and restore the road.
“Changing from corrugated metal pipe to a concrete drainage pipe, and constructing head walls on either end, significantly improved the functionality and durability of that drainage structure,” Moody said.
Moody added the new pipes can handle more water and are less likely to clog, which is why the county is confident another washout won’t happen again.