ORLANDO, Fla. — Many drivers in Central Florida know that there is no easy way to move east and west between Lake and Orange counties.
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Drivers use State Road 50 or U.S. 192, but those routes are 14 miles long.
Officials with the Central Florida Expressway Authority said a new toll road in the works could get you to and from in just 5 miles.
Lake County is booming after the area has seen immense growth within the last few years.
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2020 census data recorded a nearly 30% population growth since 2010.
You can see much of the growth in all the development projects underway.
So naturally, the roads are busy.
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Driving from Orange County to Lake County, and vice-versa, is not always easy.
The new toll road, SR-516, is currently in the design phase would be a four-lane limited access highway serving as an east west connection between Schofield Road at 429 in Orange County and U.S. 27 in Lake County.
CFX officials said green initiatives like trails and solar energy will be a part of the project.
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Design is expected to be completed by next year, construction would start shortly after and it would all be ready by 2027.
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