Orange County’s commissioner for the area, Emily Bonilla, thinks the call for an expressway through Bithlo would spur further suburban sprawl.

Of the two agencies’ proposals, Bonilla said it comes down to comparing evils.

The worst and most long-lasting damage, she said, would be from the state’s plan to build an expressway along Colonial Drive because it would significantly wall off the north half of Bithlo from the south side.

Her preference would be to redesign S.R. 50 with measures to accommodate local traffic and have dedicated lanes for pass-through motorists.