3-mile section of Wekiva Parkway opens Wednesday

SORRENTO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - The Florida Department of Transportation is scheduled to open the first section of the long-awaited Wekiva Parkway (State Road 429) to traffic at 10 a.m. on Wednesday. The department is opening Sections 4A and 4B from County Road 435 (Mount Plymouth Road) near Haas Road in Orange County to State Road 46 east of Camp Challenge Road in Lake County.

The $1.6 billion Wekiva Parkway will complete Central Florida's beltway, while helping to protect the natural resources surrounding the Wekiva River. Work on this first 3.14-mile parkway stretch began in February 2013, with a construction cost of $25.48 million.

The 25-mile Wekiva Parkway is a collaboration between the Florida Department of Transportation, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise and the Central Florida Expressway Authority.