Construction begins this week on a long-awaited roadway project to connect Orange and Lake counties together, according to Orange County.
The New Independence Parkway extension project is one of two pending roadway connections between the counties in the Four Corners area. A third connection, Schofield Road, is already finished.
In the coming weeks, crews will build about one mile of new roadway from the Orange County line to roughly 400 feet east of County Road 545, also known as Avalon Road. The New Independence Parkway extension will link State Road 429 in Orange County to U.S. Route 27 in Lake County.
“This highly anticipated roadway project represents a vital step forward in enhancing connectivity between Clermont and Horizon West providing west Orange County residents with safer, faster, and more efficient access to jobs, schools, and essential services while supporting smart growth for our thriving communities,” said Ken Leeming, manager of Orange County’s Highway Construction division, in a prepared statement.
Construction should be finished by early 2027, according to Orange County.
Meanwhile, another highly-anticipated road project between Orange County’s Flemings Road and Lake County’s Sawgrass Bay Boulevard is still pending. Lake County finished its part of that project in May, and the full project should be done by next fall.
Local residents say the quickly-growing area’s current road infrastructure can’t handle all the traffic going back and forth between the two counties, and hope the pending roadway connections will speed up commute times.
