Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Signals topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges signal changes at Hancock and Hartwood Marsh; engineering says timing tradeoffs could worsen school‑area delays
Summary
A Claremont resident told the board a dedicated turn signal is needed at Hancock and Hartwood Marsh to reduce crashes; county engineers responded that holding Hancock for fixed dedicated intervals would lengthen delays on Hartwood Marsh and that larger roadway projects are scheduled for 2026–2027.
A resident told the Lake County Board of County Commissioners on Feb. 11 that a high‑conflict intersection at Hancock Road and Hartwood Marsh needs a dedicated signal to prevent crashes, and county engineers explained why immediate changes are not a simple fix.
Vincent Niemach described repeated crashes and asked the county to reprogram the signals so one direction receives a dedicated green interval and then the other direction receives a dedicated interval. “We had several accidents there, and I'm getting a little upset about this,” he said.
Jeff Fairhart, the county’s engineering director, told the board staff had studied the location and found traffic patterns such that creating two fixed dedicated greens would significantly delay Hartwood Marsh traffic, particularly during school periods. He said that Hancock is slated to be widened and that associated construction on the corridor is expected to begin this year; ultimate widening of Hartwood Marsh is set for state fiscal year 2027 (July 2026 start). “We are looking at all of this,” Fairhart said, and staff planned a meeting with the Florida Department of Transportation to explore whether the state can accelerate funding.
Board direction: Commissioners asked staff to produce written quantification of traffic impacts — counts and projected delay tradeoffs — and to return with data so the commission and the resident could compare alternatives. The board also asked staff to follow up with the resident and to include the issue in an update after the upcoming DOT meeting.
Why it matters: The intersection is near a school and recreation area; residents expressed concern that connecting additional lanes from Scholfield Road to Hancock will further increase congestion at the intersection unless signal timing or roadway design changes are implemented.
Proposed technical fixes and constraints: Staff mentioned vehicle detectors in the pavement and options such as flashing yellow arrow phasing, but also emphasized that changing signal phasing could shift delays to other approaches. Commissioners asked for a clear, written engineer’s analysis to support either a change in phasing or a decision to wait for larger roadway projects.
