Phase I: The Eastern Beltway The first phase of SR 417, then termed the
Eastern Beltway, extended from what was the east end of the
East–West Expressway northward to
SR 426 (Aloma Avenue) in
Seminole County. It allowed commuters to bypass the crowded
Semoran Boulevard, as well as give expressway access to the
University of Central Florida. The OOCEA began construction of phase I in July 1987 and the road was opened to the public on December 16, 1988, at a cost of $105 million, with $35 million being spent on acquiring the
right-of-way for the route.
Phase II: The Southeastern Beltway Phase II, the "Southeastern Beltway", was considered one of the most important parts of the Eastern Beltway because motorists could use this portion to travel from downtown
Orlando to the
Orlando International Airport without ever getting off the
expressway system. This portion of the GreeneWay had passed through some of the most barren portions of
Orange County. It skirts the
Econlockhatchee River marshes that cover some of eastern Orange and northern
Osceola. The OOCEA began construction of the Southeastern Beltway, from
Colonial Drive to the
Beachline Expressway in January 1989, and opened ahead of schedule in July 1990. The route cost $72 million, with an estimated $13 million being spent on acquiring the
right-of-way.
Phase III: The Southern Connector The "Southern Connector" was to become a route extending from SR 528 all the way to
SR 535. The OOCEA began construction of the road in November 1991 and completed construction July 1, 1993, at a cost of $273 million. It was during the construction of this section that the Orange County portion of the beltway project was renamed the
Central Florida GreeneWay. From 2015 through 2016, a limited interchange was completed with SR 417 and
Florida's Turnpike. The remaining ramps to complete the full interchange were opened May 21, 2021.
Phase IV: The Seminole Expressway The
Seminole Expressway, the northern leg of SR 417, is located in Seminole County and is owned and operated by Florida's Turnpike Enterprise. The section south of Aloma Avenue to the county line (less than one mile) was acquired from the Seminole County Expressway Authority in April 1990 as part of Florida's Turnpike Expansion Program authorized by Senate Bill 1316. The initial stretch, from just south of Aloma to
US 17/
92 opened in phases in 1994. The final six miles (10 km) connect to
Interstate 4 near
Sanford/
Lake Mary, and opened to traffic on September 15, 2002, approximately seven months ahead of the final schedule. This leg features only one mainline toll plaza (just south of
CR 427), but it is also the priciest toll plaza on SR 417 at $2.50 per vehicle. This section also features the only "free movement" on SR 417. No toll is collected for motorists traveling between I-4 and Rinehart Road (whose interchange with SR 417 is used for travelers on SR 46 and CR 46A to get to and from SR 417).
Phase V: Southern Connector Extension Due to the multiple entities involved, which included OOCEA,
Walt Disney World, Osceola County, private landowners, the
Reedy Creek Improvement District, and the Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, building the southernmost between I-4 and the GreeneWay became a complex task. Eventually, they agreed on the
Southern Connector Extension, as well as the
Osceola Parkway. Florida's Turnpike began construction of the extension from the GreeneWay to I-4 in 1994 and completed construction in mid 1996. The project cost almost $153 million, with $74 million coming from contributions from the private parties involved in building this route, making it possible to get from
Walt Disney World to the
Orlando International Airport without ever driving on Interstate 4.
Later changes In 2008, the Turnpike Enterprise began a $49 million project to reconstruct the Lake Jesup toll plaza, allowing for the inclusion of SunPass/E-PASS express lanes. The project was completed in April 2011. On December 14, 2011, the northern terminus of SR 417 was extended from Interstate 4 to International Parkway. The $11.4 million project began construction on November 29, 2010. The Turnpike Enterprise and OOCEA (now CFX) agreed to build a partial interchange between SR 417 and
Florida's Turnpike in the late 2000s, after negotiations dating back to a 1991 field study. The interchange was built in two phases. The first phase, built by CFX, added ramps from southbound SR 417 to southbound Florida's Turnpike and from northbound Florida's Turnpike to northbound SR 417. Construction on the first phase began in September 2013 and opened on January 26, 2015. The second phase to complete the interchange was built by the FTE, with construction beginning in late 2014 and completed in 2017, several years ahead of its original completion date. In January 2015, the speed limit along the entire highway was raised to from the previous speed limit. The increase followed a study that found 85% of drivers on the highway already drove between . In 2019, construction started on a new interchange between
SR 429 (Wekiva Parkway), SR 417, and
Interstate 4, and was completed in 2024 to finish the beltway around Orlando. ==Future==