New Pavement Anticipates Completion of Park Avenue Project

The sight of street resurfacing has been welcomed this week in Lake Wales, but nowhere more than at the intersection of Scenic Highway and Park Avenue. The work is the final step in the complete reconstruction of Park Avenue in accordance with the Lake Wales Connected plan to reinvigorate the city's urban core.

Robert Connors

The final course of asphalt has been applied at the intersection of Park Avenue and Scenic Highway as the reconstruction of the intersection draws to a close.

Crews moved closer to completing the reconstruction of that intersection, which has been closed to traffic for three months. New road surfaces were put down this week after the completion of curbs and sidewalks, along with large rain gardens and planting areas which will soon receive new trees, streetlights, benches, and other amenities.

The intersection will also receive a new ornamental "gateway" structure welcoming residents and visitors alike to visit the re-imagined street. With wider sidewalks, a brick street surface, new lighting, and lush gardens, Park Avenue is intended to become a pedestrian magnet and an attraction for retail and restaurant businesses.

The enlarged Market Plaza sark and Stuart Avenues has already become an attraction and features swinging benches, a brick courtyard, and a plush lawn. The area will become a community activity focal point with plans to host regular events.

The Connected plan also guided the construction of the new Park Avenue Trail, a 12-foot-wide pedestrian and bicycle path connecting the downtown area with the popular Lake Wailes Trail. That is only the newest of an expanding network of trails linking neighborhoods around the city, including the Scenic Highway Trailway, the Crystal Lake Trail, and the Tower Boulevard Trail, all of which will help connect existing segments into a cohesive system.

Howard Davies

A new gateway monument is being constructed to mark the entrance to the downtown shopping and dining district being created as part of the Lake Wales Connected plan. The multi-million-dollar effort is intended to create an attractive pedestrian center for the city, drawing visitors and raising property values.

Work on future phases of the Connected plan will soon see work begin on North First Street between Park and Crystal Avenues, the first stretch of that street to get the new streetscape treatment. The work is expected to move more quickly, given that it wont require the extensive utility work that was involved in the Park Avenue project.

Work is also slated to begin this year on Orange and Crystal Avenues, which will get similar treatments including new sidewalks, rain gardens, landscaping, and lighting, along with new asphalt surfaces.

Detours around the Scenic Highway construction have forced drivers to navigate a series of turns and four-way stops. The work is scheduled to be completed in February allowing traffic to flow more smoothly. A new traffic signal will control the intersection allowing easy left turns onto Park for northbound vehicles.