Airside Center Drive in South Lakeland to Close for 12 Days Starting Monday

Airside Center Drive near the GEICO Corporate Office and Lakeland Linder Airport will be closed for 12 days starting March 18, Polk County officials announced Friday. The closure is part of the ongoing West Pipkin Road widening project.

Traffic will be briefly detoured along Old Medulla Road to bypass the work zone located at the West Pipkin Road intersection.

Southbound traffic along Airside Center Drive will still be able to make a westbound right-turn onto Aviation Drive, but will not be able to access West Pipkin Road.

Bill Skelton, Polk County’s project management liaison, said commuters can expect moderate travel delays — especially during weekday peak-hour traffic. The county encourages people to drive carefully and add some extra time to trips through this area.

West Pipkin Road has been undergoing a $55.6 million widening project to take it from two lanes to four lanes between Medulla Road by the airport and Harden Boulevard by the railroad tracks.

Earlier this week, the county announced that eastbound Pipkin Road between Harden Boulevard and South Florida Avenue — which has been blocked off since January 2022 — would reopen on Thursday.