Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation Thompson Nursery topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Polk County to adopt separated multi‑use paths on Thompson Nursery Road widening
Summary
Representatives of 13 communities and Traditions at Winter Haven HOA urged commissioners to change the Thompson Nursery Road widening design for segments 4 and 5, recommending separated multi‑use paths (8–10 feet) instead of a bike lane in the roadway to improve safety amid projected growth and new commercial development.
Ken Henry, representing a 13‑community Regional Community Council that lies along segments 4 and 5 of the Thompson Nursery Road project, urged the Board of County Commissioners to replace the option that places a bike lane in the roadway with a design that uses separated multi‑use paths.
"Change the current option 1 design in segment 4 with a bike path in the roadway to a modified option 2, removing the bike path in favor of the multi‑use path of 8 feet," Henry told the board. For segment 5 he recommended a 10‑foot multi‑use path on the south side and an 8‑foot sidewalk on the north, saying the design would better separate vulnerable users from fast‑moving traffic.
Linda Fife, vice president of the Traditions at Winter Haven homeowners association, described local traffic conditions and new commercial construction near the intersection of Thompson Nursery Road and Westlake Ruby. She said residents already alter driving patterns to avoid congestion at the Traditions crossing and cited heavy truck and commercial traffic in the corridor. Fife said multi‑use paths reduce the number of conflict points drivers must watch for compared with separate bike lanes plus sidewalks, and she cautioned that some roadway median cuts shown on plats (for example, at a new Publix) contradict the green median shown in design maps.
In the transcript Henry and Fife referenced projected future growth in the corridor — numbers cited in the presentation included "some 11,000 homes ... 25,000 more people, 21,000 more vehicles" — and urged the county to consider safety for bicycles, scooters, and other mobility devices. Henry told the board the Traditions homeowners association and associated community development districts had written assurances prohibiting golf cart use outside their communities except for crossing Thompson Nursery Road.
County staff indicated that approximately 90% of segment 4 is designed and that segment 5 design work is underway. Commissioners did not take a formal vote or direct staff to adopt a specific design during the public comment period recorded in the transcript; the presentation was received during the public comment portion of the meeting. Commissioners and staff acknowledged the community's concerns and said design deviations can be made during engineering and construction as needed.
The presenters requested that the board consider consistency with other county multi‑use paths (including a multi‑use path between Auburndale and Haines City) and to prioritize physical separation of nonmotorized users from vehicle lanes.
No formal action was recorded on this presentation during the meeting.
