ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 On Friday night, if it feels like you\u2019re always hitting a detour just trying to get home, you\u2019re not alone. For some Orlando residents, construction has become part of their daily routine\u2014and now a multi-million-dollar power project by the Orlando Utilities Commission could keep those delays coming for years.<\/p>\n
For a decade, Jules Botticello and her husband have seen construction like this\u2014signs of road closures and detours near Fern Creek Avenue\u2014and it seems like it\u2019s never-ending. Botticello says, \u201cIt\u2019s an older neighborhood, so seeing the upgrades is welcome, but some of the noise and the extra traffic\u2014and fast cars driving through\u2014can definitely be disrupting.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for Chris Marusiak, it feels like construction pops up randomly all the time. Marusiak says, \u201cEvery day now we have new stuff going on. It\u2019s constant\u2014which way can I go today? And then it\u2019s also, can I even get out of my driveway some days?\u201d<\/p>\n
Now a another completely different project is heading their way.<\/p>\n
The Orlando Utilities Commission is planning to roll out a $274-million project they approved early this month\u2014which means even more construction along Fern Creek Avenue. A major part of OUC\u2019s 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\u2019s freeze.<\/p>\n
One resident says, \u201cTruthfully, infrastructure underground is easier to work with because you don\u2019t need a boom truck for everything. So I\u2019m good\u2014and happy that\u2019s happening.\u201d But residents aren\u2019t 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, \u201cIt\u2019s a lot for residents when you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to be closed, when, and for how long.\u201d<\/p>\n
Street work is set to start early next year on Fern Creek Avenue, then move near Crystal Lake Drive and Curry Ford Road afterward.<\/p>\n
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