Power-line conflicts delay Apopka pedestrian signals

Pedestrian-signal upgrades at Apopka Boulevard and Sheeler Avenue remained unfinished in Orange County’s October 22 update. The county told WKMG News 6 that conflicts with overhead power lines were delaying installation and said it was coordinating with Apopka and the power company.

The work has reached different milestones: Orange County Traffic Engineering said it issued a Notice to Proceed for the concrete improvements on June 16, and contractors completed the curb ramps and pedestrian-refuge improvements on July 2. The signals were still pending in the October 22 update, 112 days after the concrete work was finished. That is the elapsed time between those milestones, not a promised construction deadline.

Concrete improvements and signals are separate i

WKMG reported that pedestrian-refuge islands were in place, while the crossing signals remained covered and painted crosswalk markings had not appeared. The completed curb ramps and refuge work therefore did not mean the new signals were operating.

Orange County gave WKMG a cost of $36,385 for the concrete construction. That amount covers the concrete work, not the total cost of all intersection improvements or the remaining signal installation.

County and city have different signal roles i

In its account to WKMG, Orange County said Apopka maintains the existing traffic signal and the county is responsible for upgrading it to include pedestrian signals. The county said its signal group was working with the city and the power company to get an update and determine next steps. It had not announced a completion date for the signals or a separate schedule for painted crosswalk markings.

The unfinished work matters to people who regularly cross there. Ruby Johns told WKMG that she and a friend had experienced close calls. Isaiah Celestine, 19, told the station he crosses nearly every weekday on his way to school and rated how safe he felt at the crossing 3.5 out of 10. The county’s update explained the delay, but left the timing of the signal installation unresolved.