Loxahatchee Road's Last Closed Stretch Is the Way Most People Get On It

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives two different sets of directions to the refuge boat ramps at the far west end of Loxahatchee Road. They are on two pages of the same website. The Hillsboro Area location page says to take the Sawgrass Expressway to US-441, turn left onto Loxahatchee Road and keep going until you reach the parking lot.

The refuge's main page gives a detour instead. From US-441, go west on Holmberg Road, turn right onto University Drive, then turn left onto Loxahatchee Road. Only the second route works this fall. The first one sends you onto the one part of the 6.2-mile project that is still fully closed, which is the eastern end at State Road 7.

The east end is the last piece to reopen

The Florida Department of Transportation's project runs from the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge east to SR 7/U.S. 441. It costs $33,480,584, and the contractor is Horizon Contractors, Inc. As of October 1, 2026, FDOT's October progress report put the job at 85% complete. The work left is concentrated at the east end, closest to the Wawa corner, where most Parkland drivers come onto the road.

The full closure between Parkside and SR 7 is phase two of the project. FDOT's phase-two closure notice dates it from June 24, 2026 through fall 2026, with local access to properties maintained. On the SR 7 side, the Wawa at 7705 N SR 7 is still listed as open 24 hours, with fuel, online ordering and curbside pickup. What has changed is how you get there from the west. Drivers coming from the refuge end of Loxahatchee Road have to come down Parkside or University and reach the corner along SR 7.

Getting in from the middle

Since August 8, the middle of the road has been the way in. That day FDOT reopened the Parkside Drive roundabout and lifted the full closure between Parkside and University. In the notice TAPinto Parkland reprinted, the agency said this:

"Please note, the full closure of Loxahatchee Road between Parkside Drive and S.R. 7/U.S. 441 will remain in effect as construction continues. Local access to businesses and residential properties will continue to be maintained via Parkside Drive."

So there are two working ways onto the road from SR 7, and the official sources each give a different one:

1. FDOT's posted detour. Take SR 7 to Holmberg Road, then Parkside Drive, and join Loxahatchee Road at the new Parkside roundabout.
2. The refuge's posted detour. Take US-441 to Holmberg Road west, turn right on University Drive, then turn left onto Loxahatchee Road.

Since August, both have connected to open road. Several places along the corridor sit on the far side of these turns.

Terramar Park is right by the Parkside work. TAPinto's January closure coverage placed the traffic shifts around the Parkside roundabout near the park, with local access maintained during construction. The city describes Terramar as a popular destination for Parkland youth sports, with fields, courts, a playground, a pavilion, trails, restrooms and concessions.

The Hillsboro Area of the refuge is at the west end of the road. The refuge lists it as open around the clock, and its GPS coordinates are 26.35614, -80.30005. The coordinates are more reliable than a typed address while the road is torn up. It has bank fishing, a boat launch into the perimeter canal, and levee trails for hiking, biking, dog walking and horseback riding. A portable restroom sits near the boat ramp parking lot. The refuge's main page also says the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk Trail is closed until further notice. That trail is part of the headquarters area on Lee Road in Boynton Beach, not the Parkland boat ramps.

Loxahatchee Everglades Airboat Tours runs private tours from 15490 Loxahatchee Road and asks customers to book or call. Calling ahead is also the simplest way to confirm the best route in while the eastern end is closed.

What "fall" has meant on this road

FDOT says the Parkside-to-SR 7 closure runs "through Fall 2026," and the calendar is now well into fall. The project's earlier phases give that word some context.

• October 30, 2023. Construction starts with a full closure from University Drive to Parkside Drive. Parkland News reported that the closure would stay in effect "until Fall 2024."
• July 2024. The same outlet reported a projected finish for the whole project in late 2026.
• June 24, 2026. The phase-two full closure from Parkside to SR 7 begins, scheduled through fall 2026.
• August 8, 2026. FDOT lifts the full closure between University and Parkside, the same stretch originally scheduled to reopen in fall 2024.
• October 2026. FDOT's monthly report lists completion as "Early 2027," while its project page says "Spring 2027."

TAPinto Parkland flagged the mismatch on October 25 and noted that the gap between the two estimates leaves the exact finish date unclear. The east end still has a lot on its list for October: sidewalk and drainage work east of NW 61st Way, paving east of Parkside, guardrail at the Parkside intersection, and the start of permanent signs. For holiday plans, the safer working assumption is the University and Parkside approach, and SR 7 as a bonus if it opens in time.

What the finished road adds, and what it still doesn't allow

The finished design matters most for the people who can't use the road today. FDOT's plan widens the road for bike lanes, builds a continuous sidewalk on the south side, and adds roundabouts at Nob Hill Road, N. University Drive and Parkside Drive. It also adds a second eastbound left-turn lane onto SR 7/U.S. 441 and finishes with milling, resurfacing, and new signs and pavement markings.

For now, FDOT bars pedestrians and cyclists from all of Loxahatchee Road, and the sidewalk between University and Parkside is closed for sidewalk and handrail construction. That applies even on the reopened middle section. The bike lanes and sidewalk will be the first walking and cycling route along this corridor between Parkland's neighborhoods and the refuge levees. Until FDOT lifts the ban, a bike ride out to the Hillsboro Area trails starts with a car and a rack.

The extra eastbound left-turn lane at SR 7 is the change drivers will feel most on a weekday. It goes in at the same corner that is still closed.

Trails End is next in line

Another repaving job is lining up a few miles south. The North Springs Improvement District bid out resurfacing of about 7,220 feet of Trails End between Pine Island Road and University Drive. The work covers milling, base repairs, resurfacing, utility adjustments, ADA curb-ramp retrofits and new striping. According to NSID's project listing, bids were due October 28, 2026 at 10 a.m., and at least one lane must stay open during construction. TAPinto Parkland reported on October 21 that no start date, end date or final price had been announced. The two schedules could overlap this winter, with Loxahatchee Road's last phase wrapping up as the Trails End crews arrive.

To hear about Loxahatchee Road's reopening before you see it, FDOT invites residents to ask Community Outreach Specialist Angel Breedlove to add them to the project email list at [email protected] or (786) 494-6211. City of Parkland Engineer Richard Biagini is listed for questions at (954) 757-4171.

When the SR 7 end reopens, getting around western Parkland will change again, with new roundabouts, a new turn lane and a road you can finally walk. At Deborah Carr, we follow projects like this one because they shape everyday life on every street they touch. If you'd like to talk through how the finished Loxahatchee Road fits your plans in Parkland, Let's Connect.