The city promises continued service and business access, but its construction and road-closure pages need a clearer shared timetable.
by The Orlando Advocate News Staff
People traveling near Garland Avenue and Marks Street should plan around a major wastewater project that Orlando expects to continue into summer 2028. WFTV reported October 8 that construction was underway on the replacement of an approximately 80-year-old lift station. The city’s project page lists a $19.5 million budget. WFTV; Orlando project page.
The city says Garland Avenue will be closed between Marks Street and Orange Avenue for the project’s duration, while access to Gateway Center businesses will remain available. Posted work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The city anticipates continued sanitary sewer service using temporary facilities and phased work, with emergency vehicles receiving priority access. Those are city commitments, rather than independently measured performance results. Project impacts.
There is a scheduling detail worth checking before planning repeated trips. Orlando’s road-closure directory lists a Garland Avenue Lift Station 2 entry running July 6, 2026, through December 31, 2027. The replacement project page instead gives summer 2028 as anticipated completion and describes a closure lasting throughout the work. The pages do not explain whether the difference reflects separate construction phases or information awaiting revision. Neither date should be presented as a guaranteed reopening. Road-closure directory; replacement timeline.
The project’s purpose predates this week’s rain. Orlando’s 2024–2028 capital improvement plan described a station built in the mid-1940s beneath the Gateway Center parking garage, receiving wastewater from west of Interstate 4 and along Garland and Orange avenues. That historical plan proposed a replacement with submersible pumps, new electrical equipment and standby generation. It explains the system being replaced; it does not establish that every proposed component appears unchanged in the final construction contract. Historical capital plan, page 213.
The same older document carried an approximately $11.39 million probable construction estimate. Today’s posted $19.5 million figure is a project budget. Comparing those different measures without reconciling scope, dates and included costs would not establish a cost overrun. The relevant accountability documents are the executed contract, amendments, contingency use and the city’s current forecast of total spending. Historical estimate.
The older plan also identifies repair and replacement as the project’s priority, documenting an existing infrastructure need. Capital plan.
For delivery drivers, employees and customers, the practical next step is to confirm the specific access route with the destination before traveling. People who need a step-free route should ask about pedestrian access as well as vehicle entry. A promise that businesses remain accessible does not by itself describe every visitor’s route. The city lists public outreach contact Lauri Brooks at 407-246-3675 and lauri.brooks@orlando.gov. Project contact.
- Advocate Staff
- Advocate Staff
- Advocate Staff
- Advocate Staff
