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Residents warn of safety risks at SR‑44/Morse Boulevard; county says design will include directional turn lanes
Summary
Residents from The Villages and surrounding areas urged traffic-calming, reduced speeds and golf-cart access at the SR‑44/Morse Boulevard intersection ahead of an upcoming Walmart opening. County staff said a directional turn median will be built and that design (using 2047-level forecasts) will be completed before construction funding is sought.
Residents and traffic professionals urged the Sumter County Board on Dec. 9 to tighten safety measures at the State Road 44 and Morse Boulevard intersection, recommend additional enforcement and consider golf-cart access to the new Walmart entrance.
David Easton, who said he lives in Chitty Chatting, told the board that the posted 45 mph speed limit south of SR 44 creates safety risks and asked whether a signal or roundabout might still be under consideration. "We were wondering if a traffic light or a traffic circle at the intersection of Chitty Chat Iran and Morris Road was a dead issue or if it's still under consideration," Easton said, and urged the county, the village of Wildwood and the state to review speed limits and enforcement.
Rafe Garcia, a Villages resident, warned the board that not providing golf-cart access to the Walmart entrance would be "a bad idea" for many residents and said the lack of multimodal access could lead to "major accidents." Local traffic engineer Bob Yanks asked technical questions about signal detection and whether intersections will be fully actuated and timed to avoid backups.
Chair and County Administrator Mr. Arnold responded that a study of the intersection is complete and that the board had decided against a roundabout; instead, design had moved forward for a directional turn median and the project would go to bid. Mr. Arnold said the traffic impact analysis accounted for seasonal variation and projections through 2047. "There's a tremendous amount of information in the traffic study. It has taken into account the projected traffic at the intersection with the opening of the new Walmart," he said.
Public works staff (Ms. Snyder, county public works director) told the board that previous speed studies have not justified a reduction, but said the county would re-evaluate speeds once the Walmart signals are installed and traffic patterns stabilize. She also explained coordination with FDOT for timing on SR 44 and described modern detection equipment (cameras) in use instead of pavement loops.
Next steps: the board approved design work (the 2047 lane configuration) and staff said they will return with a construction funding plan; Ms. Snyder estimated design would take roughly six to eight months and that construction funding has not been secured.
