As Lakeland’s airport and southwest population continues to grow. And so are the size of the area’s traffic control measures.
Crews began preparing Wednesday for construction of the city’s largest roundabout to date, a multi-lane traffic circle at Drane Field Road/State Road 572 and Waring Road. Residents can expect to see crews installing traffic control devices through Saturday.
“It’s going to be a huge improvement in terms of traffic concurrency,” said Chuck Barmby, the city’s transportation and development review manager.
Barmby said traffic-management planning began when Publix Super Markets, Inc. announced plans to expand its corporate headquarters in September 2018. It started a conversation about handling the traffic from the influx of employees traveling to and from the area, resulting in many scheduled roadway improvements.
A year later, construction began on a roundabout at the entrance to Lakeland Linder Airport, Drane Field Road and Don Emerson Road. At the time, it was the largest roundabout in the city, designed to handle semi-tractor trailers and estimated final measurements of 140 feet diagonally across the intersection. It’s a single lane.
The Florida Department of Transportation has planned a two-lane roundabout at Drane Field and Waring roads. It will consist of two travel lanes ranging from 13- to 17-feet wide, according to FDOT spokesperson David Scarpelli. FDOT’s posted plans call for the roundabout to have a 170-foot diameter as measured from curb to curb.
In addition to the roundabout, FDOT will resurface approximately two miles of pavement on Drane Field Road, from Airport Road east to Pipkin Creek Road. The state will install storm sewers, inlets, closed flumes and manhole covers in an effort to help move stormwater away from roadway, according to FDOT’s project site.
Construction of the roundabout is expected to last through spring of 2026, according to Scarpelli, weather permitting. The estimated cost is $14.2 million.
“Motorists should expect lane and intersection closures during construction. Additionally, motorists should expect lane shifts during construction,” Scarpelli wrote in an email.
Construction on the roundabout will take place during daytime hours, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and again overnight, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., Scarpelli said. This indicates work will be paused during morning and evening rush hours.
The road resurfacing work will be done overnight from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Scarpelli said.
Residents and drivers who frequent the area can sign up for construction alerts through FDOT’s project website online at www.swflroads.com/project/444906-1. Updates will be sent out via emails and text messages.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland’s first multilane roundabout begins on Drane Field Road
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