Bartow, Fla. – Construction on Lakeland Hills Boulevard, which was postponed for two weeks due to Hurricane Milton, is now scheduled to begin on Monday, October 21. This FDOT Complete Streets Project extends from south of Parkview Place to Griffin Road.

During construction, Lakeland Hills Boulevard will be reduced to two lanes, one lane in each direction, with limited left turn lanes, primarily at signalized intersections. U-Turns will not be possible for most vehicles, so expect congestion and add time to your schedule to reach your destination.

Starting Monday, October 21, workers will begin placing signs and erosion control devices during the day. Tuesday night, October 22, motorists can expect nighttime/overnight lane closures as crews prepare to close the inside lanes and shift all traffic toward the outside lanes.

Once traffic is shifted to the outside lanes, it will be reduced to one lane in each direction while workers prepare the median for future traffic shifts. Traffic will remain one lane in each direction throughout most of the project duration but will be shifted from side to side depending on where crews are working. Use caution, be prepared to merge and plan for delays.

This busy and important corridor serves as a connection between Downtown Lakeland, Lakeland’s Medical District, Joker Marchant Stadium/Tigertown Complex, Interstate 4 and Florida Polytechnic University.

To better serve all users of the corridor, the new roadway will include four travel lanes with curb and gutter and a 12-foot raised median from Parkview Place to north of Miami Street. From north of Miami Street to north of Granada Street the roadway will maintain four travel lanes with a continuous 12-foot-wide bi-directional left turn lane.

The project will also provide an upgraded drainage system to better accommodate storm water and alleviate roadway flooding. The FDOT and the City of Lakeland will partner to upgrade the water and sewer systems during construction to reduce future impacts to the corridor.

Additional safety enhancements will include, a reconstructed/resurfaced roadway, two new mid-block pedestrian crossings (south of Channing Road and north of Swannanoa Street), new 8-foot sidewalks on both sides of the roadway with upgraded ramps and pedestrian signals, upgraded LED traffic signal equipment with additional lighting at signalized intersections, and street lighting on both sides of the road from Parkview Place to Granada Street.

Although Lakeland Hills Boulevard will remain open throughout construction, motorists may want to consider alternate routes such as US 98/Florida Avenue and West Lake Parker Drive.

Citrus Connection currently services the Lakeland Hills Boulevard area via the Pink Line but has established micro-transit routes. For more information on Citrus Connection Routes, please visit https://ridecitrus.com/.

Lakeland Hills Boulevard construction is scheduled to take approximately two years to complete and cost $27.6 million. For more information and to follow along with changes during construction, visit fdot.cc/Lakeland-Hills-Boulevard.