Traffic alert: Year-long traffic shift on Lake Underhill Road starts Monday

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — As traffic engineers aim to widen two busy roads in east Orange County, they want you to know about a change you’re about to find on your morning commute.

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Crews have been working to widen Econlockhatchee Trail from south of Lake Underhill Road to just north of State Road 408.

Lake Underhill Road will also be widened near Econ Trail, and beginning Monday, drivers will notice a shift in traffic lanes.

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County officials said westbound traffic will be adjusted and motorists will use a temporary, paved lane adjacent to the current one.

Additionally, eastbound traffic on Lake Underhill will be shifted and will use the existing westbound lane.

Message boards and other signage will be in place so that drivers are aware of the updated traffic pattern.

Why is the shift necessary?

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“Traffic is being shifted off the westbound lane of Lake Underhill Road to create space for crews to begin installing box culverts through the canal along the roadway,” Orange County said in a news release.

Crews also plan to install temporary concrete barrier walls on both sides of Lake Underhill Road once the traffic shift has been initiated.

Orange County officials estimate the traffic shift will be in place for about a year.

Once completed, drivers will find themselves on a new roadway built over the box culvert along the existing drainage canal.

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The Econlockhatchee Trail Improvement Project has a price tag of nearly $67 million and is expected to be finished in early 2026.

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