A recreational trail along the west side of Lake Hunter should make heavy use of boardwalks over the lake instead of hugging the shoreline, even if it means the city of Lakeland supplements the project’s state funding, Mayor Bill Mutz said today. More
A project to four-lane U.S. 98N from West Socrum Loop Road to the Polk-Pasco line has been fully funded and construction could start as early as this summer, The Ledger reports in a subscribers-only story. The $130 million project is funded through the American Rescue Act and ties in with a larger Florida DOT project to widen the highway through three counties to improve safety in a heavily trafficked freight corridor.
Last spring, city officials thought this month was when air traffic controllers would begin to route jets bound for Lakeland Linder Airport over the Polk Parkway, reducing noise over neighborhoods. But city commissioners learned today that implementation of the noise mitigation plan is probably a year away. More
With development coming to parts of downtown Lakeland west of Florida Avenue, city commissioners are turning their attention to ways to move pedestrians and bicyclists over and under the barrier formed by the CSX railroad tracks. More
Downtown Lakeland’s new shuttle service, “The Squeeze,” kicks off Monday. The eight-person carts will circulate every seven minutes during lunchtime on weekdays, Fox 13 News reports. A longer route will run in the evening on Fridays and Saturdays. Costs are $2/day, $3/week or $9/month via cash apps or tokens available downtown. | Route maps, times, details More
George Jenkins Boulevard is closed between Sloan Avenue and Brunell Parkway this evening as city crews repair a water main break at Veterans Avenue. The work to excavate and then repair an aging concrete line is expected to take several hours and possibly last until Thursday morning, city officials say.
More
The city of Lakeland is exploring the idea of converting the sidewalk along Sikes Boulevard adjacent to Lake Hunter into a multi-purpose trail. More
The number of accidents along South Florida Avenue in Dixieland has decreased from a high of 15 during the first month of the one-year road diet there, a Florida Department of Transportation engineer told Lakeland city commissioners Monday. But Steven Davis Jr. said he’s hoping to see more improvement. More
West Pipkin Road will be widened between South Florida Avenue and Medulla Road to meet the demands of growth in southwest Lakeland, The Ledger reports. The work by Hubbard Construction of Winter Park starts next month and is expected to take around two years. The cost to Polk County: $42 million, with $6 million coming from the city of Lakeland.
Roughly 200 people came to the RP Funding Center tonight to learn about and comment on Amazon’s plans to expand its air cargo facility at Lakeland Linder International Airport. The event included a chance for attendees to ask questions of airport officials, a slide presentation summarizing the proposal and its environmental impacts, remarks by Airport Director Gene Conrad about plans to mitigate noise and a public comment period. The video starts just before the slide presentation began. | COVERAGE: News Channel 8 | Fox 13 News | The Ledger
