Road work begins next week on Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive

Weekend public access will be unaffected

The St. Johns River Water Management District will begin regrading the roads of the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive beginning Monday, March 5, 2018. Weekend access will not be affected by the regrading project, which will take place Monday through Thursday each week.

The project area includes Lust, Welland, Roach, Laughlin, Interceptor, and Lake Level Canal roads to the exit gate at Jones Avenue.

Each week all roadways will be cleared of equipment and materials on Thursday afternoon to allow public access to the drive on Friday morning.

The district continues to make necessary repairs to the wildlife drive and Lake Apopka Loop Trail following severe flood damage from Hurricane Irma last September. More than seven miles of the popular wildlife drive have reopened since repairs were made.

A four-mile section of the Loop Trail between Lake Level Canal and the Apopka Beauclair Canal reopened Feb. 2, and an additional three and a half miles of minor trails were used to create a seven-mile loop that begins at the North Shore Trailhead. Those trails link up with the non-motorized trails west of the Apopka Beauclair Canal that was opened previously.

Sections of the Loop Trail between Lake Level Canal and Magnolia Park remain closed while the levees on which the trail is located are repaired.

The Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive is open year-round between sunrise and sunset on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and federal holidays. There is no cost to visit the wildlife drive.

Trail guides, maps, and more information about recreational opportunities on lands owned and managed by the district are available at www.sjrwmd.com/lands/recreation.