SANFORD, Fla. — As we look ahead to 2023, one of the big transportation stories will be the completion of Central Florida’s beltway.

What You Need To Know

  • FDOT to complete ramps to connect State Road 429 to Road 417 at I-4 by late 2023

  • The connection will complete the Central Florida beltway

  • Beltway will help drivers avoid congestion on I-4

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) stated to Spectrum News 13 that 23 of the 25 miles of the Wekiva Parkway, also known as State Road 429, are already open.

By the end of 2023, the ramps connecting Wekiva Parkway to Interstate 4 and State Road 417 will be ready for drivers in Seminole County.

“For 25 cents, I’m happy to miss the three additional loops I don’t have to go around,” said Carol Lanouette, who already drives on the Wekiva Parkway.

Lanouette says she has saved time avoiding traffic on State Road 46 by taking the portion of the Wekiva Parkway that is already open.

She does have to get off State Road 429 before she can get on State Road 417 to get to work at the University of Central Florida.

But that will change in 2023.

“When they finish this connection to 417, having no lights to deal with, it will take 15-20 minutes off my travel time,” Lanouette said.

That connection between state roads 429 and 417 at I-4 is still under construction in the Sanford area.

Once completed in late 2023, it will create the Central Florida beltway.

It’s a project that has been decades in the making as a way to avoid I-4, by either using the State Road 429, or State Road 417 to circumvent the congestion in Orlando and the theme parks.

“I think you’re going to see a lot more people bypassing I-4. Even though they’ve done such a nice job on the expressways in the middle, I think they’re going to see quite a bit more trucks taking the bypass route,” said Lanouette.

FDOT stated that 14,000 drivers are using the new toll road every day.