ORLANDO, Fla. – The flyover bridge at the Red Bug Lake Road and State Road 436 intersection to opened early Wednesday after nearly two years of construction.
Rainy weather postponed the original scheduled opening last week, but crews were able to complete work Tuesday night, painting lines and hanging traffic signs.
Robert Sanchez, a business owner in the area, said the completion of the flyover was a welcomed sight.
Sanchez opened Razors' Edge Barber Shop a year and a half ago, while bulldozers tore up the road, paving the way for the $24.5 million bridge that now allows drivers traveling south on S.R. 436 to turn left on Red Bug Lake Road without waiting for a light.
Sanchez said all the construction has hurt business.
"Nobody wants to pull over to a plaza full of construction," he said.
Paul Gause, visiting from out of town with his family, said driving through a maze of cones Tuesday night to get to dinner was a nightmare.
"'Hey, which way do we turn? Does anybody see where we're going?' Just very confusing," Gause said.
Sanchez said he now hopes customers won't fly past his shop.
"Hopefully, you know, (we'll) get more business, hopefully," Sanchez said.
Work on the bridge began in March 2012.