The Wekiva Parkway (State Road (S.R.) 429) project is set to meet a milestone as early as this weekend - keeping a promise that the Department made to champion environmental preservation.

The upcoming traffic shift will permanently remove a section of roadway within the Seminole State Forest and reroute traffic to S.R. 429.

Old County Road (C.R.) 46A will close to through traffic as soon as Sunday, June 6, at 8 p.m. Motorists who previously traveled east on the old C.R. 46A will instead take the new C.R. 46A toward S.R. 429 and follow signs for eastbound S.R. 46. Motorists who traveled west on the old C.R. 46A from S.R. 46 will instead take the new C.R. 46A exit.

Old C.R. 46A outside the forest will be kept open for local access. The remaining roadway segments, renamed to Droty Spring Lane and Sleepy Bear Lane, will lead to newly constructed cul-de-sacs for large vehicles, such as emergency services, to turn around if needed. The new C.R. 46A alignment opened to traffic in October 2019, and the old roadway was kept open until additional work was completed to perform the shift.

The closure is a major safety improvement, as it will allow wildlife to travel through the forested area unimpeded by traffic, preventing motorist collisions with wildlife. In addition to the realignment, the Wekiva Parkway project is constructing bridges for wildlife to pass safely underneath within the protected conservation areas.

Electronic message boards have been posted. Please note construction schedules may change due to weather or other circumstances.

Motorists are reminded that much of the area remains a construction zone and to please drive cautiously.