US 27 Closure to Impact Traffic This Weekend

The impending 54-hour closure of US 27 is expected to snarl traffic throughout the city for an entire weekend, but Florida Department of Transportation planners are taking steps to try to mitigate the resultant traffic snarls. Among them are extra police officers posted at key intersections and an extensive web of signage to guide drivers on nearly a dozen different routes.

Described by some as "Traffic-geddon," the normally smooth flow of traffic around the Lake Wales area is expected to be anything but that beginning Friday night at 11:00 when work crews will begin diverting traffic off the busy Federal highway onto local streets and byways. The closure will last until the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning. Heavy traffic is expected to impact many local roads, including Scenic Highway, Central and Winston Avenues, First Street, Eleventh Street, Mountain Lake Road, and Hunt Brothers Road.

Although local drivers are advised to plan to stay off the roads over the weekend, LakeWalesNews.Net is publishing maps and recommended routes for some of the various detours. Anyone expecting guests may wish to advise them of alternative travel paths.

Some detours will be different for heavy commercial traffic, an accommodation made at the request of Lake Wales Police and city officials to keep those vehicles off city streets, including Central and Winston Avenues and First Street.

The following are the routes recommended by FDOT, which will be marked by signage:

NORTHBOUND

Non-commercial northbound vehicles continuing on US 27 are advised to use the exit ramp at SR 60 EB, travel to the signal at First Street, turn left, continue to Central Avenue, turn left again, and then turn right upon reaching US 27.

SOUTHBOUND

Traveling southbound on US 27 and continuing SB:

Turn Right on Central Avenue, left onto SR 60. merge onto Frontage Road to access the ramp for US 27 Southbound, then turn right onto US 27. FDOT suggests that police will be available to allow left turns from Central Avenue across the west-bound lanes of SR 60 at that intersection.

SOUTHBOUND TO EASTBOUND

From southbound US 27 to eastbound SR 60, turn left at Central Avenue and then right at First Street, then left onto SR 60 at the signal.

SOUTHBOUND TO WESTBOUND, turn right onto Central Avenue, right again at SR 60.

NORTHBOUND TO EASTBOUND,

local traffic NB on US 27 heading east on SR 60 will be able to use the normal merge ramp, as will traffic heading from WB SR 60 to NB US 27.

NORTHBOUND TO WESTBOUND

To reach SR 60 WB from NB US 27, turn right onto Hunt Brothers road, continue on at the roundabout, turn left at CR 17B (South Eleventh Street) ad then left ton SR 60 at the traffic signal.

COMMERCIAL DIRECTIONS ARE DIFFERENT

SOUTHBOUND COMMERCIAL:

For vehicles traveling southbound on US 27 and continuing SB, detours will be different. Those drivers should turn Right onto Mountain Lake Road at the signal, then right onto SR 17 (Scenic Highway) and continue through town to the roundabout at Hunt Brothers Road, turn right (WB), then left onto US 27 at the signal.

NORTHBOUND COMMERCIAL

Traffic going from Westbound SR 60 to Southbound US 27 will need to:

Turn left on Hunt Brothers Road, continue on Hunt Brothers Road all the way to US 27, then turn left onto Southbound US 27.

NORTHBOUND COMMERCIAL US 27 TO SR 60 EB/WB

According to FDOT published plans, Commercial traffic going North on US 27 To SR 60 will turn right onto Hunt Brothers Road, continue on Hunt Brothers Road all the way to SR 60, then turn onto SR 60. right for eastbound and left for westbound. (LakeWalesNews/Net advises west-bound drivers to turn off Hunt Brothers Road at CR 17B (South Eleventh Street) to utilize the traffic signal for left turns.)

EASTBOUND COMMERCIAL ON SR 60 TO NORTHBOUND US 27

traffic going from Eastbound SR 60 to Northbound US 27 will need to merge onto Frontage Road to access the ramp for Southbound US 27, merge onto US 27 SB. turn left on Hunt Brothers Road, turn left on SR 17 (Scenic Highway+ at the roundabout, continue through town, turn left on Mountain Lake Cutoff Road, then turn right onto US 27 NB.