Overview
Wekiva Parkway Update
Please click here to view exhibits from the Viable Alternatives Workshops. 
After more than 200 agency and community meetings and extensive evaluations, once the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) signs off on the required environmental documents so they can be published for public review, the Expressway Authority and Florida Department of Transportation are ready to hold the long-awaited, formal public hearings for the Wekiva Parkway.
The Wekiva Parkway, which is necessary to complete the beltway around northwest metropolitan Orlando, has been heralded by environmentalists and transportation planners alike for breaking new ground in the way major roadways are developed in Florida.
Authorized by the 2004 Wekiva Parkway & Protection Act, the new roadway would provide an alternative to Interstate 4, and also relieve US Highway 441 and other area roads of traffic congestion stemming from intensifying growth and travel between Lake, Orange and Seminole counties.
The 27-mile parkway and feeder roads through Lake, Orange and Seminole counties will weave through one of the state's natural treasures, the Wekiva River Basin. The Wekiva River system has been designated an Outstanding Florida Water, a National Wild and Scenic River and a Florida Aquatic Preserve.
Environmentalists praise the parkway planning for including the preservation of 9,000 acres of environmentally sensitive land, as well as extensive wildlife bridging to enhance habitat connectivity and reduce animals harmed by vehicles. The idea is to essentially extinguish potential development and preserve habitat, spring and groundwater recharge areas within the basin.
So far, more than 3,400 acres have been set aside for conservation. The Expressway Authority Board in October approved buying the latest and third conservation parcel, Pine Plantations, which totals more than 380 acres. OOCEA continues to pursue the remaining acquisitions in coordination with agencies including the FDOT, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and local governments.
Please click here to view the Proposed Conservation Land Acquisitions for the Wekiva Parkway.
The roadway would begin at the planned State Road 429 and State Road 414 (John Land Apopka Expressway) interchange at US 441 in Apopka, go north and then east along the current SR 46 alignment and connect to Interstate 4 near Sanford. The project also includes the SR 46 Realignment, which would begin at US 441 and SR 46 near Mount Dora and connect to the Wekiva Parkway at a systems interchange in northwest Orange County.
The Expressway Authority along with FDOT began the Wekiva Parkway Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study in January 2005.
The Expressway Authority and FDOT have been seeking a balance between the often conflicting interests of the public, the environment and engineering analysis. The intent is to minimize impacts to homes, businesses and the environment, while also developing a transportation facility that meets the region's growing transportation needs.
The Preferred Alignment Alternative is the result of extensive engineering analysis, impact assessments and meetings with local government, state and federal agency representatives to get their input. Likewise, study team members have met with numerous community stakeholders who have provided valuable feedback that also was evaluated.
OOCEA and FDOT continue to coordinate with the FHWA to obtain the federal approval needed to hold formal public hearings on the Preferred Alignment Alternative in late 2008. Subsequently, the alignment will need to be approved by the Expressway Authority, FDOT, Seminole County Expressway Authority, Orange and Lake County officials, the Cities of Mount Dora and Apopka and other local, state and federal entities.
The PD&E Study is expected to finish with an approved alignment by spring 2009.
The activities of the PD&E Study address recommendations outlined in the Final Report of the Wekiva River Basin Coordinating Committee and set forth in the Wekiva Parkway and Protection Act. The Coordinating Committee's March 2004 report followed two years of intensive community input. Details of the Coordinating Committee recommendations and other Wekiva information are available on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council website at www.ecfrpc.org.
The Parkway and Protection Act requires the Parkway help to protect area resources in several ways:
- Elevated Parkway: In Lake and Seminole counties the roadway will replace much of State Road 46, one of the deadliest roads in Florida for both humans and black bear. Elevating the roadway is expected to greatly reduce vehicle collisions with animals.
-
Extensive Wildlife Crossings: Currently, two wildlife tunnels under SR 46 in east Lake County provide a total of 78 feet of safe crossing for hundreds of animals including deer, bobcat, coyote and bear.
-
The FDOT proposes replacing the tunnels with two wildlife bridges totaling nearly 6,000 feet - more than 76 times the current crossing space. Also, the parkway would replace the existing 561-foot Wekiva River bridge with one about 2,150 feet long.
-
Longer bridges will enhance habitat connectivity by allowing more animals to safely move between the Rock Springs Run State Reserve and the Seminole State Forest. Another 800-foot long bridge is planned for one of the conservation properties to allow wildlife to move west from the Rock Springs Reserve.
-
Realigning County Road 46A: Closing the portion of CR 46A through the Seminole State Forest will reduce animals harmed by vehicles and provide habitat connectivity in the forest. The realigned CR 46A would connect to SR 46 farther west outside the forest.
Coordinating Committee recommendations also included establishing the Wekiva River Basin Commission, which is monitoring and ensuring the implementation of state, regional and local efforts consistent with the Parkway and Protection Act requirements and the Committee recommendations.
The 18-member Commission is charged with reporting annually to the Governor, the Florida Legislature and the Department of Community Affairs on implementation progress and recommendations for funding assistance to local governments. For information on Commission activities and public meetings, log onto the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council's Web site.
To access the latest SR 429 Update with information on the Wekiva Parkway & SR 46 Bypass, please follow the link below:
Please click here to view a Project Chronology.
Please click here for the Wekiva Parkway Comment Form.