ORLANDO, Fla. – On Friday night, if it feels like you’re always hitting a detour just trying to get home, you’re not alone. For some Orlando residents, construction has become part of their daily routine—and now a multi-million-dollar power project by the Orlando Utilities Commission could keep those delays coming for years.
For a decade, Jules Botticello and her husband have seen construction like this—signs of road closures and detours near Fern Creek Avenue—and it seems like it’s never-ending. Botticello says, “It’s an older neighborhood, so seeing the upgrades is welcome, but some of the noise and the extra traffic—and fast cars driving through—can definitely be disrupting.”
And for Chris Marusiak, it feels like construction pops up randomly all the time. Marusiak says, “Every day now we have new stuff going on. It’s constant—which way can I go today? And then it’s also, can I even get out of my driveway some days?”
Now a another completely different project is heading their way.
The Orlando Utilities Commission is planning to roll out a $274-million project they approved early this month—which means even more construction along Fern Creek Avenue. A major part of OUC’s plan is to run a high-voltage line from the Pershing Substation near downtown to a new substation near Lake Highland and Lake Ivanhoe. The goal is to prevent grid strain like what we saw during February’s freeze.
One resident says, “Truthfully, infrastructure underground is easier to work with because you don’t need a boom truck for everything. So I’m good—and happy that’s happening.” But residents aren’t as happy about what comes with it: the project includes years of road closures and detours and is set to last until 2029. Another resident says, “It’s a lot for residents when you don’t know what’s going to be closed, when, and for how long.”
Street work is set to start early next year on Fern Creek Avenue, then move near Crystal Lake Drive and Curry Ford Road afterward.