Stretch of State Road 434 closed after road collapses

SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. (FOX 35 WOFL) - Part of State Road 434 (S.R. 434)  is shutdown in Seminole County because of a hole in the traffic lanes. 

Officials are not calling it a sinkhole, but rather a depression. It is closing off a stretch of State Road 434,  near Artesia Road.  Two big communities -- Oviedo Oaks and Ellington Estates -- are on both sides of the road. Residents will still be able to get to their homes though. 

The roadway is currently closed just south of Black Hammock, at Laurel Oaks Court, due to an issue with an old drainage structure that runs under the road, said Florida Department of Transportation spokesman Steve Olson. Olson said repair work is expected to begin on Wednesday.

"Once construction starts, the contract terms call for a 72-hour window to fix what's under the road, and reopen the road to traffic," Olson said. "Other construction work, not related to the travel sections of the road, may take longer." 

Travelers who normally drive this section of SR 434 in Oviedo need to continue to use different routes. The suggested detour calls for traffic to use Tuskawilla Road and Red Bug Lake/Mitchell Hammock Roads as alternates.

Cost of the repair is estimated at $237,000.