City

Street redesign proposals for South Florida Avenue’s Dixieland area

Lakeland city commissioners reviewed 10 design options for the one-mile stretch of roadway between Lime Street and Ariana Street.

July 5, 2022 • 
Connor Jacobson
LAL-south-florida-avenue-road-diet-design

Illustration by Ayres Associates Inc. of two-lane street divided by median with 12-ft shared bike/pedestrian sidewalks | Image by the City of Lakeland

Table of Contents
Divided by median + dual left-turn lane
Undivided by median

The South Florida Avenue Road Diet pilot project that began in April 2020 is now complete. Now, the City of Lakeland and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have collected the data needed to guide the project’s next steps towards a safety-compliant roadway. So what can Lakelanders expect coming up? LkldNow put together this informative guide to new options just released by the city.

A report shared by planning + development firm Ayres Associates Inc. includes 10 proposed street redesign concepts — some divided by a median and dual left-turn lane, and some with no divider.

Divided by median + dual left-turn lane

  1. Two lane divided with bike lanes
  2. Two lane divided with 12-ft shared sidewalks (for bicycles + pedestrians, pictured above)
  3. Two shared lane divided with 12-ft shared sidewalks
  4. Two lane divided with 10-ft dual bike lanes (traveling north + south in the same lane)
  5. Two lane divided with 8-ft parking lanes/bus bay

Illustration by Ayres Associates Inc. of four-lane street without median or shared lanes | Image by the City of Lakeland

Undivided by median

  1. Two lane undivided with 8-ft parking lanes/bus bay and 7-ft buffered bike lanes
  2. Two lane undivided with 8.5-ft parking lanes/bus bay and 10-ft shared sidewalks
  3. Four lane undivided
  4. Four lane undivided with shared outside lanes (for vehicles + bicycles)
  5. One-way pairs (southbound traffic traveling on South Florida Avenue + northbound traffic rerouted to South New York Avenue)

More of a visual learner? Head to LkldNow’s article to see visualizations of each design. The report also includes recommendations for enhancing public transportation and parking and urban design + art infusion.

Want to have your say in what happens with South Florida Avenue? The City of Lakeland will hold an open-house-style public meeting on Mon., July 11 from 5-7 p.m. at the RP Funding Center. Community members are encouraged to bring their own proposed street designs for consideration as well.

July 11 is the final day to share your thoughts on the pilot project’s impacts + your priorities in the FDOT’s survey. Already answered the survey? Let us know which design you think would be best in our poll.