$4.75M Roundabout Approved by County Commissioners Despite Fears of Traffic “Nightmare”
by James Coulter
Polk County commissioners unanimously approved a $4.75 million contract for a new roundabout at Spirit Lake Road in Winter Haven, but a few commissioners warned that the project’s traffic impacts and cost could be a “nightmare.”
At their regular meeting on Tues. Dec. 16, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to approve a construction contract for a roundabout project in Winter Haven.
The contract was awarded to Kamminga & Roodvoets, Inc. for $4,754,132.82. The contractor was one of seven that had submitted a bid for the project.
The project will construct a roundabout at the intersection of Spirit Lake Road and Sheffield Road and realign Old Bartow at Eagle Lake Road so it meets Sheffield Road instead of Spirit Lake Road. The project itself is expected to be completed within 492 days.
Jay Jarvis, Director of Roads and Drainage, said Bartow and Eagle Lake roads will be closed at times to facilitate construction, but Spirit Lake Road will remain open.
However, many commissioners raised concerns about potential traffic problems and the overall price related to the construction project.
Commissioner Rick Wilson said traffic congestion along the roadway is already severe and predicted conditions will worsen during construction.
“I will be a pure nightmare, so we really need to look at it hard to prevent it from happening, because even on the best days, it’s a nightmare,” he said.
Commissioner Bill Braswell insisted that the bigger nightmare was not the potential traffic issues, but the overall price tag of the project.
“$5 million for an intersection is insane,” he said.
