ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Some drivers say a highway in Orange County is dangerous because of road construction.
A road improvement project on State Road 429 has been taking place since 2022. It’s 13 miles long from State Road 414 to Tilden Road, and crews are adding a lane in both directions.
Drivers like that, but they don’t like the bumps in the road because of construction. Some drivers say a stretch from Apopka, Ocoee and Winter Garden is not safe.
One driver, Robert Green, said it is “extremely unsafe on that road.”
Green said he was driving his classic car on State Road 429 in Winter Garden when he suddenly hit a bump in the road.
“When I hit one of the uneven surfaces on the 429 going over one of the bridges, and it broke the rear suspension of my car,” he said.
According to a Central Florida Expressway Authority spokesperson, crews are resurfacing the final layer of asphalt, and drivers may experience a noticeable bump when going over transition points.
A WFTV crew also discovered bumps in the road while driving.
Green says it’s not the first time his car was damaged on the 429.
“It hit it so hard that it broke the front hood latch of my car, snapped the hood up in the air over the front of the car, broke my windshield. $14,000 in damage,” he said.
“Very scary moment,” said Noel Neris. He had his kids in the back seat when both his rear tires blew out.
“We just heard this loud pop. I immediately knew what had happened.”
Many drivers took to social media complaining of the road conditions.
“These bumps that we’re hitting are literally 3 and 5 inches tall. I’ve literally hit them before and have gone airborne in my car,” said Green. “We do slow down for the construction workers there, but what about the people driving these roads that you’re not making it safe for us to drive on.”
Central Florida Expressway Authority says it’s received less than a dozen complaints and two claims.
Central Florida Expressway Authority says the asphalt is 1 inch high, adhering to Florida Department of Transportation standards, even sending WFTV a picture as an example of the height.
Drivers can file a claim and get reimbursed for damage. Claims can be sent by email to construction@cfxway.com, where they will be reviewed in a timely manner.
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