The Five Points Roundabout just north of Lake Beulah has opened following six months of construction, hastening access between much of south Lakeland and areas west of downtown, including Bonnet Springs Park.
The $2.39 million project was finished 94 days ahead of schedule, according to a city of Lakeland news release. The release said the roundabout would open to the public on Monday, but all barriers were gone and vehicles were moving freely Sunday morning.
Construction was approved by the Lakeland City Commission last September in order to improve traffic flow through an intersection where five roads once came together at awkward angles, resulting in long waits at traffic signals and frequent traffic backups.
The single-lane roundabout has four access points: two legs of West Main Street, West Lemon Street and Bonnet Park Boulevard, which was previously called Sloan Avenue. Previously, West Lake Beulah Drive connected to the intersection but it was closed off and converted it to a cul-de-sac a few years ago.
The heavily traveled Bonnet Springs Boulevard segment north of the roundabout brings traffic to and from George Jenkins Boulevard via a CSX railroad underpass.
Under the previous configuration, drivers could wait up to 3 minutes and 40 seconds because when one leg has a green light the other four are stopped, city transportation officials said.
The city’s most recent counts show that about 10,000 vehicles pass through the intersection each day and the roundabout will be able to handle 25,000. “So we’re good to go for a long time and this will really be an improvement,” City Engineering Director Ryan Lazenby told city commissioners in March.
The project was completed early even though crews working for contractors Gibbs & Register Inc. discovered previously undisclosed utility lines, prompting a redesign of the project and adding $151,000 to the price tag.
The city’s transportation funds covered the added cost, but City Manager Shawn Sherrouse told city commissioners last month that the city “will seek reimbursement” from the three utilities that signed off on the plans without disclosing their lines were in the project area: Lxumen, TECO Energy and Frontier Communication.
The CSX railroad underpass between the roundabout and George Jenkins Boulevard remains a nagging concern for city officials. The aging bridge only offers 12.5 feet of vertical clearance, instead of the recommended 16.5 feet, causing some large trucks to get stuck.
And it is extremely narrow, with only a crumbling two-foot path for pedestrians or bicycles to navigate the expanse on their way to Bonnet Springs Park.
A Downtown West Action Plan, recently adopted by the City Commission, designated a pedestrian tunnel under the CSX railroad as a top “strategic initiative” to “consider now.” The plan included a rendition of what that tunnel might look like, though there is currently no concrete plan or funding.
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