ORLANDO, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation is removing recently installed concrete ball structures from Orange Blossom Trail after Spectrum News inquired about them.

What You Need To Know

  • Tane Hopu wrote into Traffic Inbox to find out what these concrete balls are for on Orange Blossom Trail

  • FDOT is making pedestrian improvements on OBT from I-4 to Holden Ave

  • FDOT says the concrete balls were installed on the sidewalks to slow down drivers and keep them in their lanes on OBT

  • FDOT has decided to remove the concrete balls later this summer

Viewer Tane Hopu wrote into Traffic Inbox because he wanted to know what the concrete balls will be used for on the sidewalks along OBT.

“(The) last few months they magically appeared and I would drive by — to and from work — and ask myself, ‘Is it a bench? Is it some sort of safety precaution to keep people from coming over the road?’” Hopu said.

Frankly, we weren’t sure what these 74 concrete balls were for either.

We knew FDOT was making pedestrian safety improvements to this area of Orange Blossom Trail, from I-4 to Holden Avenue.

And sure enough, these concrete balls are related to the plan, according to FDOT.

“The concrete ball structures were installed as traffic bollards for speed management as part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s resurfacing and safety enhancement project within the 1.1-mile project limits on Orange Blossom Trail,” said FDOT Communications Manager Matthew Richardson.

Slowing down drivers and keeping them off the sidewalks makes sense to Hopu.

“I’d slow down trying to figure out what that was,” said Hopu. “Driving and trying to think, ‘What are the possible answers? Why we have these things out here?’”

But surprisingly, those concrete balls are going to be removed.

Richardson says the other improvements to Orange Blossom Trail — including mid-block crossings with pedestrian hybrid beacons, median fencing and a reduced speed limit — will suffice.

“With all these safety improvements, many of which are already installed and helping to reduce crashes, it was determined that the concrete ball bollards are not necessary for the original goal,” said Richardson. “FDOT has decided to remove the 74 ball bollards within the corridor.”

The concrete balls are expected to be removed when the construction work wraps up later this summer.

FDOT did not say how much it costs to purchase, install and then remove the concrete balls.

The state is also considering pedestrian safety improvements to another section of OBT, south of Holden Avenue.

If you see something unusual out on the roads or have a traffic trouble spot, please let us know by filling out the form here.