By Brian Yogodzinski
Safety issues have been present with the Alafaya Trail widening project since its inception that repeatedly put drivers at risk. As with any risk, if it is present long enough the odds are that the risk is more likely to occur. On Wednesday that risk rose its ugly head and struck not us, but our children.
An incident occurred between a school bus and a backhoe. People were hurt. The bus had to be removed on a flatbed wrecker.
The details of who was a fault are not yet published. Can we assume the bus was driving on the unimproved road? This was not likely. So the bus must have been on the road. Why was the backhoe on the road? It is actually a moot point for this event as people were hurt. Hopefully enhancements will be put in place to protect us and our children.
Please let your County Commissioner Jennifer Thompson know how you feel about this project. This project needs to be brought to a timely conclusion in a safe manner.
Brian Yogodzinski is a Mechanical Engineer from North Carolina State University with 25 years of experience, primarily in the power generation business. During that time he became a specialist in the area of Transportation Engineering for the movement of over-dimensional and over-weight components such as power plant generators, combustion turbines, and steam turbines, with typical components ranging from 110,000 pounds to 1,000,000 pounds. He has extensive experience working with state and local authorities to ensure regulation compliances and safe transit of these commodities in the public domain. He currently works for a firm that builds equipment for and constructs power plants.
