Lakeland’s much-debated South Florida Avenue road diet has reached a major milestone: the project is now 60% through the design phase. Construction expected to begin in spring 2027.
City officials shared new renderings Friday, Feb. 13, of what the rebuilt corridor from Ariana Street to Lime Street will look like.
For the first time, the design includes a mid-block pedestrian crossing between Belmar Street and Park Street, near Born & Bread Bakehouse. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has approved the crossing to help pedestrians navigate one of the busiest sections of State Road 37, according to Civil Engineering Manager Ryan Lazenby.
A long wait for the payoff
To drivers, South Florida Avenue may seem frozen in time — with the same concrete barriers that went up in 2020. For the past six years, motorists have experienced the inconvenience of the road diet without yet seeing benefits…