Thompson Nursery Road extension project gains some FDOT funding

Paul Nutcher, Lakeland Ledger
·4 min read
Traffic along Thompson Nursery Road in 2022. The county is getting more money from the state Department of Transportation to help the Thompson Nursery Road extension move forward.
Traffic along Thompson Nursery Road in 2022. The county is getting more money from the state Department of Transportation to help the Thompson Nursery Road extension move forward.

Funding to unsnarl traffic congestion in Polk County inched forward this week, at least for the Thompson Nursery Road extension.

At the April 16 County Commission meeting, the board approved another contract for the seven-mile road project. The board voted unanimously to enter into an agreement for a $3.276 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation toward the cost of building the road.

Those funds would likely be spent for one or more of eventually five segments in the works for the Thompson Nursery Road extension.

The entire seven miles of the project are expected to cost $200 million, according to Polk roads and drainage director Jay Jarvis. Its entire length could be ready to carry traffic by 2031.

One segment is nearly complete now. In stark contrast, other segments still do not have a final route on county maps showing where the new roadway will go.

A familiar set of preliminary drawings were shown to the commissioners during their agenda review on April 12 with Jarvis explaining its status.

Polk Commissioners approved an FDOT grant Tuesday for $3.276 million toward the Thompson Road extension.
Polk Commissioners approved an FDOT grant Tuesday for $3.276 million toward the Thompson Road extension.

Currently, the Thompson Nursery Road extension project is in its initial four phases, which would create a four-lane 45 mph road from State Road 540 at U.S. 17 to West Lake Ruby Drive.

In all, the multi-year project is broken up into five phases.

The first segment will go from U.S. 17 at the SR 540 and head east to Eagle Lake to Rifle Range Road, which is the part to be built first by Polk County.

Jarvis said the intention is to build that section first to get truck traffic coming out of the logistics center cutting across current roads, such as Snively Avenue in Eloise, as they typically do now to get to the Polk Parkway.

The second segment is still being studied for alignment. It will run from County Road 655 (Rifle Range Road) to east of the CSX right of way. The current county map shows it would run either north or south of Lake Gwyn as final alignment has not yet been determined. One possible route would place the new road along a short portion of Eagle Lake Loop Road to the west.

Segment two would also contain a bridge over the CSX railroad tracks before connecting to segment three. The bridge is already designed in drawings the county paid for in the early-2010s.

Segment three, dubbed the developer segment on the map, could connect segment two with Eloise Loop Road just north of Lake Reed. Work already under way in phase three adjacent to the VillaMar development by Cassidy. There is a county portion of that project and a city portion.

Phase five of the Thompson Nursery Road extension project
Phase five of the Thompson Nursery Road extension project

Segment four would improve a current stretch of Eloise Loop Road between Lake Reed and West Lake Ruby Road.

Segment five would eventually connect the entire stretch to U.S. 27.

In June 2022, Kimley Horn was hired as a consultant to do design updates and alignment studies for the Thompson Nursery Road extension for a price tag of $5 million. The board will need to approve the final alignment once that has been studied and finalized.

In a second map, Jarvis showed the commissioners what is considered an overall second phase (or segment five) between West Lake Ruby Road and U.S. 27.

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The number of new housing units coming to that area of Lake Wales is astronomical, the map showed. There are 6,100 dwelling units across 1,841 acres south of segment five. The gross residential density averages out to about 3.3 dwellings per acre.

There are also projections of multiple commercial, office and nursing home facilities along that stretch of the road.

Construction along Thompson Nursery Road in 2022. There are 6,100 dwelling units across 1,841 acres south of segment five of the road project.
Construction along Thompson Nursery Road in 2022. There are 6,100 dwelling units across 1,841 acres south of segment five of the road project.

The Thompson Nursery Road extension is one of a long list of major capital infrastructure projects to be undertaken to improve the quality of life around the county, according to the Polk County website. Road projects are just one portion of the funding set aside in the county’s ongoing Community Investment Program for addressing growth and economic investment.

The CIP project expenditures are projected to be approximately $447.2 million in fiscal year 2023-2024, the county said. Over the next five years, the county anticipates spending $1.5 billion to address the long list of projects, which include projects for accessible roadways and relief from increased traffic.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County receives money from FDOT for Thompson Nursery Road project