The trip from Bartow to Lake Wales is going to become much longer starting July 27 — especially for truckers.
The Florida Department of Transportation plans to close a section of State Road 60 for two weeks to allow the reconstruction of the CSX railroad tracks about three miles west of U.S. 27.
The closure will cause a 31-mile truck detour on the highway that is a major east-west route for commercial truck traffic. The project is expected to finish by Aug. 10, weather permitting, FDOT said in a news release.
A ‘full crossing reconstruction’ is in the works
The closure is required to allow an “extensive, full crossing reconstruction” to enhance corridor safety and operational stability, FDOT said in the release. The crossing on SR 60 is south of the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center, where freight is transferred between trains and trucks…