Starting Saturday, there will be a new, faster and more efficient way to connect Lake County and Orange County as a new section of the Wekiva Parkway is slated to open with wide ranging effects.

  • Wekiva Parkway to connect Lake, Orange counties
  • Parkway to be faster, more efficient, says PIO
  • CFX's ‘Running Wild 5K’ is Saturday along the parkway

"Even folks that decide that they don't want to use the Expressway are going to see an immediate relief on the local roads,” said Wekiva Parkway PIO Mary Brooks.  “We've already seen a difference on roads like Plymouth Sorrento Road that used to have a mile or two backup from folks trying to get to the 429 when it used to end at 441."

Now, along with CFX's first completed section which opened back in July, there will be a 10 mile stretch of the road which provides a crucial connection to State Road 46, linking Orange and Lake Counties.

"Making it much easier for folks in Leesburg, Tavares, Eustis, Mount Dora to get to Orlando, the attractions, anywhere they want to go, I-4 toward Tampa and vice versa," Brooks explained.

This new section of the Wekiva Parkway will actually open this Saturday afternoon after the running of the 'Running Wild 5K', which is CFX's way of commemorating the grand opening of their second and final section of the Wekiva Parkway Project.

However, just because CFX will be done with their portion of the project, doesn't mean the project is done in its entirety.

The Florida Department of Transportation needs to complete its 15 miles of connecting road, which will extend all the way to I-4 in the Sanford area. That portion is expected to be completed sometime during the next four years.

While the surrounding area may look barren now, officials are expecting anywhere between 8,000 to 10,000 vehicles to travel this section of the Wekiva Parkway daily by the year 2025.

"So it’s going to be huge for people on the commuting front, (and) it’s obviously huge for commerce and just general traffic," Brooks said.

CFX's ‘Running Wild 5K’ is this Saturday along the Wekiva Parkway with registration beginning at 7 a.m. near the intersection of Plymouth Sorrento Road and Haas-Ondich Road in Apopka.

The registration fee is $25. There is also a one-mile 'fun run' beginning at 7:40 with a $10 registration fee.

For more details on how to sign up, head over to CFX’s sign up page.