Florida Department of Transportation- Winter Haven, Fl:
As the result of a safety study performed on the intersection of Havendale Boulevard and US 17 (8th Street NW), FDOT has incorporated several changes into a project that will improve safety for the traveling public. The project is scheduled to begin in May 2024 (underway)
Improvements include:
• Extending the left turn lane on eastbound Havendale Boulevard to northbound US 17. The turn lane, which ends just before 9th Street NW will now extend down to just before 11th Street NW, more than doubling the capacity to hold vehicles waiting to turn and clearing the travel lanes for those going through the intersection.
• Closing both 9th and 10th streets Northwest to left turns. Right turns in and right turns out are still available, but left turns will have to be made by turning right and making a U-Turn to head in the other direction.
• Shortening the traffic separator on Havendale Boulevard to allow more room for eastbound vehicles to make the left turn onto northbound 8th Street NW and from northbound 8th street NW vehicles to make a left turn onto westbound Havendale Boulevard.
• Restriping northbound and southbound US 17 to include a single left turn lane and two dedicated through lanes to improve traffic flow in each direction.
• Adding high-visibility crosswalks at the intersection.
• Realigning and constructing sidewalk at the intersection to align with the new crosswalks.
• Installing new mast arm poles for the signal and upgrading signal equipment
Expect nighttime/overnight lane closures on US 17 north and southbound and SR 544 (Havendale Boulevard) and SR 544 (MLK Boulevard) from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. as crews work on signals at the intersection and widening in the median. Use caution and be prepared to merge.
Construction cost: $2.1 million
Start: mid 2024
End: late 2024
