(APOPKA, FL) – The ramp from northbound State Road 429 (Daniel Webster Western Beltway) to westbound Connector Road will be closed nightly starting Wednesday, August 19 continuing through Saturday, August 23. All traffic exiting northbound SR 429 will be directed onto eastbound Connector Road toward Plymouth Sorrento Road for access to US Highway 441. This work is part of construction of the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s first section of the Wekiva Parkway.

The detour each night from 8 p.m. – 6 a.m. will allow crews to remove a concrete pedestrian island and to perform signal work. Motorists also should be alert for daytime, intermittent lane closures along the SR 429 Connector Road during this time.

Bad weather or other unforeseen circumstances could delay or prolong work. Motorists are urged to use caution in the construction area for their safety and that of the work crews.

This work is part of the $56 million project to build the Wekiva Parkway from where the SR 429 currently ends at the Connector Road to just north of Ponkan Road. Once completed, the 25-mile parkway will complete Central Florida’s beltway, while helping to protect the natural resources surrounding the Wekiva River.

Section 1B crews also are locating utilities and surveying the project corridor. Next they will begin clearing the right of way of vegetation and structures and installing silt fence for erosion control. 

The Central Florida Expressway Authority on Aug. 3, 2015, advertised for bids from construction engineering and inspection firms to oversee the building of the Wekiva Parkway Section 2C (429-206). The section of the parkway is to extend from the planned systems interchange, north across the Orange-Lake County line  and end in a loop interchange at State Road 46 just east of Round Lake Road. Construction on this portion of the parkway is scheduled to begin in spring of 2016.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority Board on June 11, 2015 awarded the contract to build Wekiva Parkway Section 1B to Superior Construction. The contractor submitted a bid of approximately $46.6 million to build the 2.3 mile stretch from near Ponkan Road to the planned Kelly Park Road interchange. Construction on this section is slated to begin in August.

For more information on Section 1B, click here. 

(APOPKA, FL) – The Central Florida Expressway Authority (CFX) will begin construction on its first section of the landmark Wekiva Parkway (State Road 429) on June 8, 2015. Work on this 2.3-mile section is scheduled to finish in spring of 2017.

Nearly 30 years in the making, the Wekiva Parkway is a collaborative effort between CFX, the Florida Department of Transportation – District Five and the Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. The 25-mile toll road will complete Central Florida’s beltway, while also helping to protect the natural resources surrounding the Wekiva River.

"We are excited to get our sections of the parkway underway," said CFX Chairman Welton Cadwell. "This long talked about project is something that is going to have a major impact for Central Florida with better connectivity and economic development opportunities.  It's the type of project that my grandkids will have a hard time imagining our community without."

This first section will extend from where the Daniel Webster Western Beltway (SR 429) currently ends near US 441 in Apopka to near Ponkan Road. This section will include a full interchange at the Connector Road near US 441.

Wekiva Parkway will be Central Florida’s first expressway to feature all electronic tolling. The parkway also will have aesthetic features including colored and textured bridge and wall treatments, slightly arched bridge beams and wider medians for enhanced landscaping.

CFX is responsible for the construction, maintenance and operation of approximately nine miles of the Wekiva Parkway in Orange County and a small portion in Lake County. The parkway will serve as an extension of the Daniel Webster Western Beltway and the John Land Apopka Expressway (SR 414). CFX operates 23 miles of the Daniel Webster Western Beltway from US Highway 441 to Seidel Road. The Florida's Turnpike Enterprise operates the southern section from Seidel Road to Interstate 4.

To view the Construction Fact Sheet, click here.

The 100 percent design plans have been submitted for the Florida Department of Transportation's Section 5 of the Wekiva Parkway. To view the plans for the realignment of County Road 46A from Arundel Way to State Road 46 near Camp Challenge Road, click here. 

The Florida Department of Transportation - District Five has completed the 90 percent design plans for Wekiva Parkway Section 7A in Seminole County. To view the plans for the section from near Wekiva Park Drive to Orange Boulevard, click here.  

The Florida Department of Transportation (Department) hosted a second Toll Rate Rule Development Workshop on May 5, 2015 to provide the public an opportunity to review and comment on proposed amendments to Rule 14-15.0081, Florida Administrative Code. This includes the proposal of new toll rates for the Department segment of the Wekiva Parkway in Orange, Lake and Seminole Counties, in addition to impacts to other tollways.

For the FTE toll rates, click here.

The 90% plans for the Florida Department of Transportation's Wekiva Parkway Section 3B were submitted in April 2015. To view the plans for this section, which includes rebuilding the US 441 and State Road 46 interchange to include a flyover ramp in Mount Dora, click here. 

Check out a real-life mockup of what the walls and bridges will look like on the Central Florida Expressway Authority’s first sections of the Wekiva Parkway, scheduled to begin construction this summer. Plans for the full bridge and wall structures are meant to blend in with the rustic and natural surroundings. To view the photos and graphic, click here.

Sanford _ About 100 people checked out the latest Wekiva Parkway exhibits and other information on April 18, 2015 at the Friends of Wekiva River "Discover Wekiva" event held at Katie's Landing. Attendees were interested to learn about the latest schedule and other details for the project, which will complete Central Florida's beltway while also helping to protect the natural resources surrounding the Wekiva River. For photos from the event, click here.  

The Central Florida Expressway Authority on April 9, 2015 selected Prince Contracting to build Wekiva Parkway Section 1A (429-202) from where State Road 429 ends at US 441 and Plymouth Sorrento Road, to just north of Ponkan Road. CFX is scheduled to begin work on the $56 million project by early June 2015.   Work should finish in 2017.

SORRENTO _ More than 156 people attended the second Wekiva Parkway Sections 5 and 6 Public Workshop on April 7, 2015, at Camp Challenge. Five people submitted comment forms at the Florida Department of Transportation meeting, meant to update the community on the Section 5 100 percent and the Section 6, 60 percent design plans.

Among the officials that attended were Lake County Engineer Fred Schneider; Hugh Harling of the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council; Robert Brooks, Wekiwa Springs State Park Manager; Joe Bishop, Seminole State Forest Supervisor with the Florida Forestry Service and David Martin of Seminole County. Former Lake County Commissioner Catherine Hanson and members of the Friends of the Wekiva River also were in attendance.  

The mood was overwhelmingly positive. Many attendees were pleased to know that they will have the option of using non-tolled, parallel service roads for local trips in east Lake and Seminole Counties. 

This was the second design public workshop held for these sections. Design is scheduled to finish this year. Construction is scheduled to take place from 2017-2020.

To view photos from the meeting, click here.  To view the meeting exhibits, presentation and handouts click here.

Following extensive coordination with  federal, state and local environmental agencies and advocates on a design of the Wekiva Parkway Section 6 bridge over the Wekiva River, the Florida Department of Transportation has received a letter of concurrence from the National Park Service. The context sensitive design - once that complemented the natural surroundings - is the result of extensive work by many key stakeholders. To review the concurrence letter, click here.    

The Central Florida Expressway Authority on March 12, 2015 announced that its portions of the Wekiva Parkway project, which will complete the beltway around Central Florida, have been approved for a federal loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Program. This additional funding resource will allow CFX to move up the schedule of construction by as much as 18 months. It could also potentially save over $260 million in bond interest payments.

To see more information about this exciting development, click here.

To view the updated overall project schedule based on this development, click here.

Lake County _ The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is holding a public information meeting about Wekiva Parkway Sections 5 and 6 in Lake County and a small portion of Seminole County. The public meeting is being held to review the latest design plans.

The project is funded for construction in 2017. The Section 5 project is to design the non-tolled relocation of County Road (CR) 46A out of the Seminole State Forest, thereby improving habitat connectivity and reducing the risk of conflicts between vehicles and wildlife. CR 46A would be realigned 2.5 miles from north of Arundel Way to connect to State Road (SR) 429 east of Camp Challenge Road.

The Section 6 project is to design 5.5 miles of limited access toll road largely along the existing SR 46 corridor from west of Old MacDonald Road to east of Wekiva Park Road. The project will include designing a non-tolled, service road for local travel and a new bridge over the Wekiva River. This section also will feature several wildlife bridges to allow animals to pass safely between the Seminole State Forest and Rock Springs Run State Reserve, as well as a multi-use path.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 7, 2015, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Camp Challenge, 31600 Camp Challenge Road, Sorrento, FL 32776. The meeting is an informal open house where plans are available for review and project staff is available to address questions.  

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or persons who require translation services, free of charge, should contact: Ms. Mary Brooks, Quest Corporation of America, by writing to her at 2431 Aloma Avenue, Suite 124, Winter Park, FL 32792, or by calling 407-694-5505 or via e-mail at info@wekivaparkway.com.

Want to get a birds-eye view of the latest construction on Wekiva Parkway Sections 4A and 4B? Then click here.