{"id":469437,"date":"2026-02-15T04:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469437\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T04:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T04:02:10","slug":"after-years-of-barriers-lakelands-road-diet-moves-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/469437\/","title":{"rendered":"After Years of Barriers, Lakeland\u2019s Road Diet Moves Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

3-minute read<\/p>\n

Lakeland\u2019s much-debated South Florida Avenue road diet<\/a> has reached a major milestone: the project is now 60% through the design phase. Construction expected to begin in spring 2027.<\/p>\n

City officials shared new renderings Friday, Feb. 13, of what the rebuilt corridor from Ariana Street to Lime Street will look like.<\/p>\n

For the first time, the design includes a mid-block pedestrian crossing between Belmar Street and Park Street, near Born & Bread Bakehouse<\/a>. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has approved the crossing to help pedestrians navigate one of the busiest sections of State Road 37, according to Civil Engineering Manager Ryan Lazenby.<\/p>\n

A long wait for the payoff<\/p>\n

To drivers, South Florida Avenue may seem frozen in time \u2014 with the same concrete barriers that went up in 2020<\/a>. For the past six years, motorists have experienced the inconvenience of the road diet without yet seeing benefits.<\/p>\n

The new renderings, created with the assistance of drones, show wide sidewalks with brick ribbons, historic-style streetlights and shade trees\u00a0 \u2014 features officials hope will make the Dixieland area feel like an extension of downtown.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also have in the design a couple of little strategic places \u2026 where we have reserved space for some public art, if the city should desire to do that,\u201d Lazenby said.<\/p>\n

What drivers can expect during construction<\/p>\n

Commissioner Mike Musick asked how traffic will be handled once construction starts.<\/p>\n

Lazenby said the work will have to be phased \u201cone lane at a time,\u201d like Lakeland Hills Boulevard. Left turns will likely be limited in certain areas to keep vehicles moving.<\/p>\n

That means rush-hour backups and delays could worsen \u2014 at least temporarily \u2014 as the corridor transitions from its current configuration to its permanent design.<\/p>\n

Busy behind the scenes<\/p>\n

Lazenby told city commissioners that a great deal has been happening behind the scenes, including pavement engineering, right-of-way acquisition, and multiple rounds of FDOT review.<\/p>\n

According to Lazenby, if the current timeline holds:<\/p>\n

Design will be 90% complete by July 20, 2026.<\/p>\n

It will be 100% complete by Dec. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n

The project will be ready to go out to bid in February 2027, with construction beginning soon after.<\/p>\n

He said crews have placed paint markings in the corridor and drilled more than 100 test holes to locate underground utilities, ahead of eventual construction.<\/p>\n

Price tag and who pays for what<\/p>\n

Lazenby noted that the road realignment was driven primarily by safety concerns. South Florida Avenue was considered a \u201chigh-crash corridor\u201d with 8\u00bd-foot lanes instead of the standard 11-foot lanes and sidewalks that were non-ADA-compliant and placed pedestrians too close to cars.<\/p>\n

The city is contributing about $5 million for \u201cextras\u201d such as upgraded sidewalks and landscaping that aren\u2019t typical of an FDOT road project. The state\u2019s share of construction is $22.6 million.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In all, FDOT has set aside $27.6 million for the project in its fiscal 2027 work program, he said.<\/p>\n

See the presentation<\/p>\n

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