Polk County details phased Thompson Nursery Road plan; Winter Haven residents press for separated sidewalks and a traffic signal

Polk County Roads and Drainage Director Jay Jarvis told the Winter Haven City Commission on March 10 that the Thompson Nursery Road widening and realignment project is proceeding in multiple phases, with segment 1 expected to go to bid this summer and construction to start this fall, and that the county intends to seek board approval on remaining alignments in April.

The presentation matters to Winter Haven because the corridor runs through growing residential areas and commercial developments where residents told the commission they fear insufficient pedestrian and bicycle accommodations as new stores and subdivisions open. Jay Jarvis said the project is divided into two phases, with phase 1 split into multiple segments running from Highway 17 near Eagle Lake to West Lake Ruby Road and phase 2 continuing to Highway 27, and that county staff is updating an alignment adopted by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners in the mid‑2000s.

Jarvis said the county is awaiting a Florida Department of…