ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Todd Hill takes walks around his east Orange County manufactured home community for his health, but in a few years, those walks might be difficult.

  • Central Florida Expressway Authority wants to expand SR 408 east
  • Plan would cut through Deerwood manufactured home community
  • Also, FDOT wants to turn SR 50 into toll road heading east

That's because the Central Florida Expressway Authority is moving forward with plans that would extend State Road 408 through his community, Deerwood. A final public hearing was held Thursday night.

"This is a great little place for me to live because it’s economical," Hill said recently. "If they move me out here, we’re going to have issues."

Crowded together in an auditorium at East River High School felt like second nature for many East Orange County residents, who are all too familiar with the crowding that happens on their main roadway, State Road 50. 

A public meeting was held Thursday night to discuss the expansion. (Bailey Myers, staff)

"Traffic is getting heavier and heavier every day." East Orange County resident, Thomas Brown said. 

Brown said traveling along SR-50, outside his neighborhood at rush hour can be a nightmare. 

That feeling was expressed by many of the more than 500 people who attended the Expressway Authority's informational meeting Thursday. 

The Expressway Authority says there’s a need to build an east-west high-speed corridor in growing east Orange.

The eventual goal is to build the toll road all the way to Interstate 95 in Brevard County.

“Currently, (S.R.) 408 terminates here at (State Road) 50, and we would be looking it at extending down to (State Road) 520 in east Orange County," Expressway Authority spokesman Brian Hutchings said.

"We found an alignment that really achieves the need as well as reduces the impact to both the environment, community and the businesses," Hutchings said.

In 2015 the Expressway Authority began to study and propose the possibility of expanding the 408 expressway further east, with hopes of eventually connecting the roadway to I-95 in Brevard County. 

Now with the study complete they are prepared to present this final proposal to the Expressway Authority board in an attempt to begin creating true design concepts for the project. 

Some in Deerwood agree that growth in Orange County demands a faster road than State Road 50.

 “I think that the traffic is getting to the point where it’s overwhelming," Deerwood resident Donna Wendling said.

However, not everyone was pleased with the alignment of the roadway. 

"Im against it, 100 percent," said East Orange County resident David Miller Thursday night. 

Right now the expansion would run up against Miller's neighborhood. He had to move from his last home further North when State Road 417 expanded into his neighborhood. He says he doesn't want the same thing to happen again. 

The Expressway Authority says there’s a need to build an east-west high-speed corridor in growing east Orange. (Bailey Myers, staff)

However, Miller did say he believes an expressway must be built to relieve the massive traffic along State Road 50. 

"They just added two lanes to SR-50, and we are still backed up to a mile everyday. You could add three more lanes and it will not make a difference. We need an expressway" Miller said. 

It's possible the project may not happen, however. At the same time the Expressway Authority looks to build a toll road, so, too, does the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida's Turnpike. They want to turn SR-50 into a toll road heading east.

"Hopefully the best alignment will win," Hutchings said.

Hill hopes the Expressway Authority's plan loses — otherwise, he may lose his home.

"I’ve been here 11 years in about two weeks. It was my intention living here, and now it looks like I’d have to do something I am not looking forward to. ... Move," he said.

With so many voicing similar concerns about the expressways current path plans, it's unclear what will happen to them in June when the Expressway Authority must decide if they will move forward with plans to build. 

Meanwhile the Florida Department of Transportation is also planning to have a public hearing on their possible expansion of SR-50 coming up in May. ​

Reporter Bailey Myers contributed to this story.