The Expressway Authority is making great strides in building the first phase of the State Road 414 (John Land Apopka Expressway) from where Maitland
Boulevard currently ends at US Highway 441 to SR 429 and County Road 437A
(Ocoee-Apopka Road). This first, 5.5-mile portion of the new toll road is
scheduled to open in summer 2009.
Activities since the work began in January 2007 have included everything
from clearing the corridor and installing drainage pipes and structures, to
hauling in dirt to elevate the roadway, building bridges and paving the new
travel lanes.
Phase I also includes the following work:
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Building an Express Mainline Toll Plaza west of CR 435 to allow
E-PASS customers to pay tolls electronically at the posted highway speed.
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Rebuilding the connection of Maitland Boulevard to US 441 as an
elevated expressway, loop interchange.
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Closing a portion of Apopka Boulevard at the new SR 414 alignment
and building a connector road from that side street to US 441.
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Closing a portion of Coral Hills Road, just west of Clarcona Road,
at SR 414.
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Building ramps from westbound SR 414 to northbound SR 429 and from
southbound SR 429 to eastbound SR 414.
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Creating a new half-mile, two-lane connector road for those who want
to get off SR 414 onto CR 437A.
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Bridging, widening and/or otherwise modifying portions of area side
streets.
Initial interchanges are planned at US 441 and existing Maitland Boulevard,
Hiawassee Road, Keene Road (to and from SR 414 east only) and SR 429.
Please click below to view the project section maps:
Click here to view the latest State Road 414 construction updates.
The Expressway Authority is phasing the roadway construction due to
increased construction costs and land values. As many as 38,000 vehicles per
day are expected to use the first phase of the expressway when it opens in
2009. Please be advised that construction schedules and activities are
subject to change due to a host of variables and unforeseen circumstances.
The Expressway Authority on Jan. 19, 2007 officially broke ground on the
long-awaited extension of SR 414. Approximately 75 people attended the
event, which also was to honor Mayor Land, the longest serving mayor in
Florida.
Mayor Land was recognized for his contributions to transportation throughout
Central Florida and for his devotion to serving the citizens of Apopka. He
is credited in particular with doggedly working to keep the extension of
Maitland Boulevard in the forefront of transportation planning, and with
encouraging the Expressway Authority to pick up the project when the FDOT
lacked the necessary funding. Mayor Land is currently serving his 55th year
(as of Jan. 1, 2007) as Mayor of Apopka.
Mayor Land is the namesake for the nine-mile expressway that is expected to
help relieve congestion on US 441 and other area roads, and to accommodate
increased traffic from intense growth in Apopka and northwest Orange County.
The population of Apopka alone grew 76.6% from 1990 to 2000 for a total of
26,642 residents. According to U.S Census estimates for 2005, the city alone
grew to 34,728.
Phase II will extend the roadway from SR 429 to the west and north to
US 441 near CR 437 (Plymouth Sorrento Road). Phase II activities will
commence when funding becomes available.
As part of that phase, the existing SR 429 interchange with CR 437A will be
relocated approximately one mile south, and a portion of existing SR 429
will be removed to accommodate the ultimate SR 429-414 interchange.
Project History
The need for the roadway, initially called the Apopka Bypass, has been
discussed for more than a decade. The Florida Department of Transportation
originally studied the corridor in 1998 as an at-grade arterial, similar
to SR 436 or US 441. A preferred alignment was selected in 1999, but
the project stalled due to a lack of funding.
In February 2004, the Expressway Authority assumed responsibility for
the SR 414 extension from the FDOT. As part of the Expressway Authority
system, it had to be converted to a limited-access toll road similar
to SR 429. So the original alignment selected in 1999 needed to be modified
via a Re-Evaluation Study.
Public involvement during the Re-Evaluation Study included a public
workshop on the project on June 24, 2004 that was attended by more than
470 people. In summer 2004, advanced right-of-way acquisition for the
project began. The Re-Evaluation Study concluded in April 2005, and
final design subsequently began. A public involvement meeting held October
17, 2005, when design was approximately 60% complete, drew more than
200 attendees; 40 public comment forms were submitted. Phase I final
design finished in late 2006. The Expressway Authority is continuing
to work with property owners to acquire land for this much-needed project.
In conjunction with the extension of Maitland Boulevard, the Expressway
Authority also is planning improvements for the current SR 429 interchange
at US 441 near Apopka which will include a connection to Vick Road.
For more information contact:
Mary Brooks
Public Information Officer
407-702-8375
MBrooksSR414@cfl.rr.com
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