ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — After a decade of anticipation, the final stretch of the Wekiva Parkway is finally open.
Channel 9 was there as state and local transportation leaders cut the ribbon on the parkway that will officially be open to commuters Saturday morning.
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The ribbon cutting marked the end of a $1.6 billion project first dreamt up over a half a century ago by Walt Disney.
State leaders say Disney first imagined a beltway around Orlando on a Black and White Television in the 1960′s.
The final stretch of the Wekiva Parkway completes the Central Florida Beltway and connects the Wekiva Parkway (State Road 429) to State Road 417 and Interstate 4.
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The 25-mile parkway relieves congestion from U.S. 441, State Road 46, and other areas across Orange, Seminole, and Lake counties.
“It’s going to offer so many possibilities to so many people,” said FDOT District 5 Secretary John Tyler, “If you’re, wanting to use I-4 for and you’re coming from the north, you’ve got another opportunity, another way to get around Orlando.”
Even before the final stretch of the Wekiva Parkway was complete, FDOT was seeing 21,000 vehicles a day on the opened sections of parkway, and officials expect those numbers to keep rising.
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As state and local leaders worked on making the project a reality, they dealt with issues from environmentally sensitive lands, to protecting gopher tortoises and bears.
More than 3,400 acres of land were purchased for conservation as the parkway was developed. 1.5 miles of wildlife bridges were also installed to reduce accidents between vehicles and wildlife.
“This accomplishment provides us a collaborative model of how we balance our growth, community, transportation and our environment,” said Michelle Maikisch, Executive Director of the Central Florida Expressway Authority.
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