Traffic signal coming to Avalon/Schofield intersection in Horizon West

A portable and temporary traffic signal is planned for the intersection of Avalon and Schofield roads, in south Winter Garden, in response to multiple area crashes in recent months. The intersection currently has a single stop sign for drivers turning onto Avalon from eastbound Schofield Road.

This temporary solution should help mitigate the traffic incidents at the popular intersection that is often used to enter and exit State Road 429, at Exit 13. 

Orange County District 1 Commissioner Nicole Wilson — who announced the portable signals were coming to the intersection at a community meeting in February — has been fighting for a temporary solution until a permanent solution can be arranged.

“Permanent safety measures for dangerous intersections can take a long time to secure and install,” Wilson said in a statement to the Orange Observer. 

“In the meantime, the safety threat remains. Since hearing from concerned residents in January, I have urged Public Works to prioritize finding a temporary measure to help improve conditions at the intersection of Avalon and Schofield roads. We helped Public Works obtain necessary documentation, and the result is an incoming purchase order for a temporary signal.”

Although this measure has been approved and the purchase of the portable signal is in the works, Wilson’s office shared no timeline for installation.

“We will continue to pass along updates on this project as we receive them,” Wilson said in the statement. 

The latest update shared by the Orange County Public Works staff about the temporary project came in late February.

“We are getting quotes from vendors to install a portable signal as an expedient measure to address the safety concerns,” according to staff. “We are currently requesting three quotes to issue a purchase order ASAP.”

Since September, the Florida Highway Patrol has reported nine crashes at or near the Avalon/Schofield intersection.

Considering the substantial number of crashes in the area, this move to implement portable traffic signals falls in line with the Orange County initiative passed in 2022, Vision Zero. The program, according to Orange County’s website, aims to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries on its transportation systems.

It is unclear what the long-term plan is for the Avalon/Schofield intersection or when it could be decided, but the addition of the temporary traffic signal should see the busy intersection become safer in the short term.