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At a Sept. 17 public workshop at the Coleman Bush Building in midtown Lakeland, FDOT presented preliminary improvements for a 0.7-mile stretch of Memorial Boulevard between Walker Avenue and Lakeland Hills Boulevard.
The agency is conducting the safety study in coordination with the City of Lakeland.
From 2021 through 2025, 470 crashes occurred along that specific corridor, according to state crash records analyzed by the city. Theresa Schwartz, Lakeland’s traffic operations manager, called Memorial “one of the worst corridors in the city for severe injury crashes.”
Among those reviewing FDOT’s display boards was Deloria Taylor, who has lived near North Lincoln Avenue for about 60 years and regularly walks Memorial, sometimes at night. “I’ve seen a lot of accidents, and I’ve seen a lot of improvements,” she said.
The proposed improvements would widen sidewalks, separate pedestrians from passing vehicles, and modify turn lanes at several intersections. Lakeland transportation planner James Phillips said Memorial was originally designed with automobiles foremost in mind.
“This is a very pedestrian-heavy corridor that we have now,” he told LkldNow. “People are trying to cross the street. People are trying to walk from one end to the other, and we want that to happen in a safe way.”
The current project development and environment (PD&E) study began in 2024 and is set to conclude in early 2027, at a cost of $1.25 million.
How would Memorial Blvd. change?
The biggest change would come between Lincoln Avenue and Lakeland Hills Boulevard, where Memorial’s six lanes would become four, matching the existing configuration west of Lincoln.
Longer turn lanes are proposed at several intersections. At Florida Avenue, FDOT would expand westbound turning capacity, extend the southbound right-turn lane, and shift southbound left-turn lanes to improve visibility. Extended traffic separators would also protect crosswalks.
“Right now, if you’re walking along those sidewalks, you’re right next to the curb line,” said Phillips. “Sometimes it can feel like traffic is coming right on top of you.”
Wider sidewalks and grass buffers, where space permits, would provide more separation from traffic for pedestrians and cyclists. Existing midblock pedestrian crossings and bus stops would remain in place.
Lakeland transportation and development review manager Charles Barmby said the redesign aims to shorten pedestrian crossings, improve visibility, and create a more welcoming corridor.
“The community wants to make Memorial more vibrant for people,” he said.
FDOT is funding the core project, with design funded for fiscal year 2027. Preliminary estimates put the proposed improvements at about $3.14 million, including design, construction, and inspection costs. The figure could change as plans are refined.
As a key Midtown corridor, Memorial is also drawing investment from the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, which is setting aside funds for enhancements such as street trees and decorative intersection treatments. Details and costs remain undecided.
Decades of safety concerns
For Barmby, Memorial’s safety problems are nothing new. He said he’s reviewed city planning files about the corridor dating back to the 1980s and ’90s, long before the current FDOT study.
“I’ve been around Lakeland off and on for 25 years, and we’ve been chipping away at it bit by bit by bit,” he said. Earlier improvements included flashing pedestrian beacons and crossing signs installed around 2012.
The crash data underscores the severity of the problem. Of the 470 crashes recorded from 2021 through 2025, six resulted in nine incapacitating injuries, while another 93 were classified as other injury crashes.
Lakeland’s Vision Zero initiative works to eliminate fatal and serious-injury crashes by 2040.
“The safety improvements FDOT is planning along the US 92 corridor are a welcome change that will support the city’s Vision Zero goal,” Schwartz said.
Memorial’s proposed redesign grew out of the Lakeland Area Alternatives Analysis, a transportation study completed in 2018. That analysis, followed by an action plan, identified improvements along Memorial as a priority.
Barmby described the Memorial improvements as a “linchpin” of the Midtown economic development strategy. He said the city hopes wider, safer sidewalks and aesthetic changes will help make the corridor “a gateway into the central part of Lakeland.”
Public concerns and next steps
Concerns about Memorial also surfaced at the Sept. 21 City Commission meeting, four days after the public workshop.
Local resident Michael Joseph called for a turning signal at Memorial and Lincoln Avenue. He also complained about overgrown vegetation in Memorial’s median toward Lake Parker, saying it creates a traffic hazard.
“I’ve been complaining about this for weeks and weeks and weeks, and nothing is being done,” he said.
FDOT will review public feedback on the Memorial project and refine the proposed improvements before concluding the study in early 2027.
Barmby cautioned that FDOT’s five-year work program can change, with construction funding currently programmed for fiscal year 2030. “Hopefully, it stays in 2030,” he said.
Comments can be submitted through the FDOT project page or emailed to project manager Steven Andrews at steven.andrews@dot.state.fl.us. They must be received by Oct. 2 to become part of the September workshop’s formal record.
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