Nearly 100 crashes have been reported over the past decade at a Lake County intersection where Eudora Road meets Old U.S. Highway 441 and County Road 19A.
Now, county officials are hoping a new roundabout will make the intersection safer.
According to Lake County officials, about 85 crashes occurred at the intersection between 2016 and 2025. For Erik Barbosa, the high crash numbers come as no surprise.
“What if I told you that Lake County officials say that there was nearly 100 crashes here at this intersection?” Barbosa said. “Oh, yes. I’ve seen them.”
Barbosa said the way the roads converge, combined with traffic heading toward nearby businesses, can make the intersection difficult to navigate.
“The way that it converges,” he said. “How it comes from that side to this side and then everybody’s trying to go over to Walmart and everything like that.”
This week, crews began closing portions of Eudora Road and Old U.S. Highway 441 as construction got underway on the new roundabout.
County officials say the project is designed to slow traffic, reduce the number of conflict points at the intersection and, ultimately, prevent crashes.
But the construction is already creating challenges for nearby businesses.
Set in Stone Monuments, located in the middle of the detour area, is among the businesses dealing with road closures and changing traffic patterns.
“When they shut the road down on the 31st, we were all parked on this side, and they blocked everything off,” said Allison Hartog of Set in Stone. “And we really were like, ‘Oh, how are we going to get out of here?’”
Hartog said construction has made it difficult for customers, employees and deliveries to access the business.
“And as you can see now, that’s torn up, and I’ve got a semi coming next week,” she said.
Despite the disruption, Hartog said she believes the completed roundabout will be a positive change.
“When it’s done, because the roundabout is moving everything that way, so we’ll kind of be out of the circle when it is completed,” she said.
Barbosa also supports the project, saying the roundabout could encourage drivers to slow down.
“Yeah, the roundabout would be great,” he said. “Because it slows everybody down, and it literally makes people think to stop and just relax.”
The county’s share of the project is estimated at $8 million. The total cost is expected to be approximately $9.3 million, including a contribution from the City of Mount Dora to relocate utilities
Construction is expected to wrap up in early next year for the first phase. The entire project is expected to be completed by summer 2027. Drivers should also expect additional traffic changes beginning in January as construction progresses.