APOPKA, Fla. — On Tuesday, crews worked to restore streetlights in Apopka. This comes after a car crash left three teenagers dead at Welch Rd. and Wekiwa Dr.
As crews were working, a resident from Orange County voiced strong words. “Should’ve done it two weeks ago when I first reported it,” she said from her car.
Many have raised concerns about the dark section of roadway at Welch Rd. and Wekiwa Dr. in Apopka. Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore was on site as line crews worked to get the streetlights running.
She said it’s been an ongoing battle to add lighting to this portion of the road due to its location next to Wekiwa Springs State Park. “The challenge is as Orange County becomes more suburban urban, to keep people safe, these are the tough choices we have to make,” Moore said.
This all comes just two days after 17-year-old Julio Lopez, along with 17-year-old Enrique Rodriguez Sabas and 13-year-old Leyner Velasquez, were killed when their truck lost control on a curve and hit a tree.
Commissioner Moore stated that the county is also seeking to enhance street markings and clear the areas adjacent to the road. “If you go off and you want to correct, that there’s a clear zone there to counteract what happened,” Moore said. “In this case, that tree was right in the way, and it’s just so tragic.”
Duke is using special lights designed to be safer for animals. Commissioner Moore said getting these lights installed was already included in the county’s budget under a Capital Improvement Plan, but it was moved to the top of the list after the crash occurred.
The lights are expected to be operational by the end of Tuesday.
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