POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida Department of Transportation has been studying a road expansion project on the road where re a deadly school crash injured 30 people and killed two people in Polk County, according to department records.
Lucerne Park Road is currently two lanes, but the state has proposed turning the eight mile stretch from Martin Luther King Boulevard to State Road 17 into four lanes where there are two lanes of traffic on both sides with a median to relieve congestion after population growth in the areas and to enhance safety. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd (R) said the road expansion project could have led to fewer injuries or casualties.
“Two people lost their lives, but a four-lane divided highway would have certainly made the difference,” he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
According to a Florida Department of Transportation Traffic analysis report, there were 829 crashes that occurred over a six-year period from 2014 to 2019. The state’s data show that about 33% of those crashes resulted in injury, totaling 446 injuries.
MD Hossain, who said he drives the road also called State Road 544, said the lanes are very narrow. He said he’s nervous driving on the road.
“I feel nervous,” Hossain said. I feel like they may hit me any time.“
Two other drivers told Channel 9 they thought the road needed to be expanded, especially to relieve congestion.
According to the Florida Department of Transportation website (https://www.swflroads.com/project/440273-1), the project has been in the Project Development and Environment phase since the middle of 2019.
Janella Newsome, who is a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Transportation, said the study can take two to five years to complete because it must satisfy strict federal laws including Federal NEPA Compliance & Regulatory Requirements, Multi-Season Field Evaluations & Environmental Surveys, Comprehensive Traffic Engineering & Forecasting, Alternatives Evaluation & Engineering Design, Right-of-Way (ROW) & Property Impact Assessments, Robust Public Involvement Requirements and Interagency Coordination & Local Consensus.
“The Florida Department of Transportation extends its deepest sympathies to the families, friends, and Winter Haven High School community grieving the tragic loss of a tenth-grade student and a driver following the recent crash on State Road 544 (Lucerne Park Road),” she wrote in an email on behalf of the department. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this heartbreaking event, as well as those recovering from injuries. We stand alongside the Polk County community during this incredibly difficult time.”
According to records, the project is broken into eight segments. The design phase for segment one is fully funded with $1.9 Million, and the right-of-way acquisition rights are funded with $6.5 Million, but construction isn’t currently funded.
A spokesperson said the other seven segments, including where the crash occurred, do not have funding identified for either the design phase or construction. She said completing the full 8-mile corridor will require more than $100 million in total funding.
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