LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Central Florida’s beltway is another step closer to completion. The new Wekiva Parkway section has opened on Monday.

The four-lane parkway is slated to reduce travel times for a lot of the residents in this area, making it especially easier to get to Sanford and Mount Dora. 

The new elevated toll road stretches State Road 429 from near Camp Challenge Road in Lake County to just west of Longwood Markham Road in Seminole County. It’s taken nearly five years to complete this project.

This area also has a non-tolled service road for local travel and a new bridge over the Wekiva River, as well as several wildlife bridges to allow animals to pass safely between the Seminole State Forest and Rock Springs Run State Reserve. 

The new crossings add nearly 1.5 miles of space for animals to travel underneath the roadways — about 100 times more space than what existed prior to the project according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).

FDOT expects the final stretch of Wekiva Parkway, which will connect Wekiva Parkway with State Road 417, to open to traffic next year.

The total cost of the Wekiva Parkway is expected to be $1.6 billion when completed.