Eudora Road roundabout: full closure of the Old 441 intersection expected in February

Editorial graphic by Mount Dora Community Website. Illustrative blurred community background: Wesley Chapel, Florida (August 2024), LittleT889 / Wikimedia Commons (CC0). Photo source · License

The hardest part of Lake County's roundabout project at Eudora Road and Old U.S. Highway 441 is still ahead: the county says a full closure of the intersection is expected in February 2027 and should last about three months, with businesses reachable by alternate routes during the shutdown.

In the meantime, the intersection on Mount Dora's western edge — the Golden Triangle junction of Old Hwy 441, U.S. 19A and Eudora Road — is partially closed, with northbound and southbound movements restricted. That configuration took effect Monday, Aug. 31, near Triangle Elementary School at 1707 Eudora Road, according to Lake County Schools.

Routes and the next change

Lake County Schools told families that Bay Street, Lake Center Drive and U.S. 441 can be used to reach County Road 19A and Eudora Road, and that a new traffic signal at Triangle Drive, Lake Center Drive and Old State Road 19 would be switched on before the closure began. The county has said drivers should expect further traffic pattern changes starting in January, before the full closure.

Why the county says it is doing this

A Sept. 29 county update cited nearly 100 crashes reported in the project area since 2015, plus requests to fix serious flooding and drainage. County officials told WKMG about 85 crashes occurred at the intersection between 2016 and 2025. Beyond the main roundabout, the contract covers utility relocations, drainage work and a second, smaller roundabout on Bay Road built to carry the detour.

The contracted timeline is 640 days; as of the September update, 149 days of work were complete and the contractor was on schedule. WKMG reported the total cost at roughly $9.3 million, including the county's estimated $8 million share and a City of Mount Dora contribution for utility relocation, with the full project expected to finish by summer 2027.

What merchants say

Phil Barnard, co-owner of Magical Meat Boutique on Old Highway 441, told Lake & Sumter Style sales have dropped 42% since construction began, forcing shorter hours and layoffs. He and co-owner Kate Bellamy say they did not know the project had received final approval when they bought the building, closing the day after the meeting. Adalberto Yanez of Dora Café, just west of the intersection, told WESH he fears detours will send customers elsewhere but hopes the finished intersection is safer.

Not every business reports the same hit. Allison Hartog of Set in Stone Monuments says the company shows no sales loss but cannot get trucks in, and that the safety improvements are needed. County communications manager Lexie Farmer says message boards and signage went up about four weeks before work started and public meetings were held; after businesses complained about visibility, the county added five signs telling drivers that businesses in the work zone remain open, which it says will stay up for the duration. The county's Office of Economic Development can also refer affected businesses to the Small Business Development Center.