State Road 417 widening causes concern amid hope for future

Drivers may have noticed recently that Florida Department of Transportation crews had peeled back vegetation under State Road 417 at the Red Bug Lake Road interchange. That’s just one step in a long process of S.R. 417 widening and interchange improvements along the corridor that begins at Aloma Avenue and ends at S.R. 434.

FDOT Communications Manager Yasir Mercado told Oviedo Community News the following details on the project:

• The project is slated to cost $300 million
• Construction is expected to last through 2030
• The project will widen the Seminole Expressway (S.R. 417) from four to eight lanes. 
• Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise is responsible for managing this initiative.
• Lane Construction Corporation is serving as the contractor.
• The project is entirely funded by toll revenue, with no gasoline or state tax dollars being used. 

To prepare for the project, construction workers have begun to remove vegetation within the designated project zones, according to Mercado. FDOT is attempting to minimize environmental impacts to the area by creating wildlife corridors and implementing conservation plans to support the survival of displaced animals in the project zones. Mercado also stated that replanting efforts will be undertaken after the project is complete, including landscape design and environmental goals as part of a separate landscaping project. 

Construction will take place during the day and night, and nearby residents and businesses may experience construction noise, vibration and dust, according to FDOT. Residents will not be the only ones feeling the effect of the construction as lane closures will be taking place during off-peak hours in an effort to minimize congestion and delays for drivers.

Updates on road closures on the project will be shared through the Central and West Central Florida Weekly Lane Closures and Work Zone Advisory,Mercado said. 

“The Enterprise is committed to maintaining safe and efficient traffic management throughout the construction process,” Mercado added.

Matteo D’Agostino, a University of Central Florida student who takes the S.R. 417 to class, said he’s dreading the impact this will have on his commute.  

“The widening of 417 would just lead to an influx of more local and international drivers,” D’Agostino said. “In turn the added congestion would just add toward the risk of more car accidents and longer traffic delays.”

S.R. 417 construction intersects with S.R. 426

 Along with the widening of S.R. 417, residents will also experience construction on Slavia Road, from Red Bug Lake Road to S.R. 426 in an attempt to enhance bicycle and pedestrian facilities as well as improving draining on the stretch of road. 

Dino Luracelli, Seminole County Public Works Chief Design Engineer, provided the following details:

• Slavia will be widened from two lanes to a four-lane median-divided roadway. 
• The median will be nearly 16 feet wide. 
• There will be a 10-foot, multi-use path on the north side of Slavia. 
• The project is expected to cost $10.2 million and construction is estimated to start in the summer of 2026 with an estimated completion date in the summer of 2028. 

Construction on Slavia Road cannot begin, however, until the S.R. 417 widening project is completed over Red Bug Lake Road, according to Luracelli. The current opening under the bridge is only 60-feet wide and the Slavia Road project is going to require a width of 100 feet. Luracelli said that once the S.R. 417 project is completed, they will have built a new bridge over Slavia Road allowing for the Slavia Road widening project to take place.

In the midst of all of this construction sits The Master’s Academy, a private school that sits on Slavia Road and backs up to S.R. 417. Darryl De Ruiter, head of school at The Master’s Academy, said he knows that the projects are going to impact the school and how students and faculty get to class every day. 

“When they begin work on that bridge that goes over Slavia Road, that would impact school traffic pretty significantly if they shut down Slavia Road,” De Ruiter said. “So I am hopeful that FDOT will be cognisant of the traffic patterns on Slavia during both commuter traffic but during drop-off and pick-up times and will work to keep Slavia Road open during the day.”

While the S.R. 417 project might pose a threat to commuter traffic across the county, it is the Slavia Road project that is most concerning to De Ruiter. 

Regardless of the construction, De Ruiter said he is confident that his staff and students will be able to work around the construction.

“Expanding that to a four lane, which eventually will be great, in the interim could cause some issues,” De Ruiter said.