SANFORD, Fla. — Sanford residents are gearing up for the start of construction on an already busy portion of State Road 46. Residents say the widening project is needed, but it's actually part of a much larger project.
- Construction on SR 46 is part of Wekiva Parkway project
- More than 30K vehicles use stretch between Orange Boulevard, I-4
- Section slated to be completed sometime in 2021, officials say
- More Central Florida traffic coverage
Nayda Cruz, the owner of Glam Up Salon & Spa, has lived in Sanford for almost 20 years and is a little alarmed with the area's recent growth. She said the reason she initially moved there was to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Now, Cruz says S.R. 46 is already extremely busy, and she tries to avoid it.
"I definitely do not like going on there to go anywhere during rush hour,” Cruz said. “You don't want to do that."
The widening work is all about the preparation for even more growth. It's part of the Wekiva Parkway project, the 25-mile toll road completing the beltway around Central Florida.
One of the exits for the parkway will dump motorists onto S.R. 46, so the road has to be ready to accommodate even more vehicles.
Wekiva Parkway officials told Spectrum News 13 that more than 30,000 vehicles per day use the stretch of S.R. 46 from Orange Boulevard up to the Interstate 4 corridor.
Now, if you're in one of those 30,000 vehicles, your commute may get tougher before it gets easier, thanks to a new traffic shift that will take place within the next several days. The shift will reduce the number of lanes from four to two and move traffic onto new temporary lanes east of Orange Boulevard for several hundred feet.
Initial work includes clearing vegetation between International Parkway, S.R. 46, and Wayside Drive for a planned retention pond. Traffic safety devices are also being set up at this time.
While Cruz knows that more lanes could mean more business, she also hopes that things will quiet down when the construction is over.
"I just hope that after they finish the project, things will go back to normal, and we will still have our wildlife," she said.
Wekiva Parkway officials also told us that the work on Section 7B, the widening of S.R. 46 between Orange Boulevard and Wayside Drive, is also the final section of the $1.6 billion parkway and that section is slated to be completed sometime in 2021.
Work on this 1.3-mile project will include widening S.R. 46 within the existing right of way, as well as installing street lighting, medians, bike lanes, traffic signal upgrades, drainage, and other roadway features.
Work also will include a 10-foot sidewalk along the south side of the corridor.