Highway Meggison
 

We moved into Citrus Grove a little more than a year ago. Since then, traffic has GREATLY increased along Meggison road. My fear is it will even get worse once the road connects to 470/ turnpike and the Bexley bridge opens up. It’s only two lanes wide after passing the Citrus Grove gates and crossing the road with golf carts or walking has gotten more and more treacherous. Furthermore, another hundred plus homes are being built in the Newell Franklin area which would only make things worse. I’m beginning to wonder if things were thought through for this busy thoroughfare?

A couple hundred homes? There will be 13,000 between Homestead and the Turnpike with Meggison being the main road north & south.

Take a drive down Pinellas. It is a 2-lane road that passes through several villages. That is how Meggison will be for people in Citrus Grove after Newell et al is finished.

Yep!
Partly to blame is Sawgrass with its one and only entrance off Meggison and people, (both cart & car) all in contest to get the best live entertainment seats/cart parking in the grass just outside the open air area /whatever.
We noted the BIG uptick in traffic and speed of said traffic, when Sawgrass came on board, just before we moved north.
You are also correct, it will all get much worse, when they complete the bridge spanning the turnpike to lay in more villages, as it will really be the only way in/out for everyone living there, needing to go anywhere...

Saw this as a problem months ago. There are no roundabouts or gates to slow the traffic flow. Golf cart lanes are along the road instead of having a dedicated path.

I can easily see the cars speeding down this road once connections are open.

If you want to know what it will be like in a few years just take Morse between 466 and 27/441.

Meggison is four lanes between brownwood and sawgrass and it has a separate golf cart lane about 10 yards off the road. South of sawgrass it is only two lanes with two golf cart lanes in the road. I would love to get an explanation for this design from the engineers. The developers seem to have built a safe road north of sawgrass and a dangerous road south of sawgrass.

Does the developer design the roads or does the county? Notice the lane change is right around the county line.

All of Citrus Grove is in Sumter County. All of Meggison Road in Citrus Grove is 2 lane. It is probably just dollar sign blindness by the developer. More lots take priority over safer roads. The golf cart crossing to Southern Oaks is very tough. You really have to have your peepers open and be patient to cross.

The contractors go very fast down Meggison, in and out of Lake County. I did see WPD in the bushes by the power lines the other day, bravo.

Yes, the developer just decided to cut costs on roads, not like its a county road that needs to meet state and federal guidelines and approval.
So let’s keep blaming it on the developer.

If you didnt see the massive amount of future development happening south of citrus grove, but still complain about the road - just like those complaining about the turnpike.

I’m sure the developer gets more money for lots and homes than it does by spending money on infrastructure. So sure. Why not sell additional homesites instead of making a better road? It’s a great short term dollar sign business decision.

It appears the intent is for 4 lane through traffic to cross the Bexely Bridge connecting to 4 lane McNeil drive south to Central Parkway (470).

Continuing The Dream: Volume 3

This!!!! My uneducated guess is that traffic headed to the turnpike will be encouraged to use the new Bexley bridge instead of passing through the Citrus Grove gate and continuing on Meggison.

They have always done that on roads they thing will not carry too much traffic, like Moyer, Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Meggison below Sawgrass.

Was the cart path along Meggison Road (like the cart path alongside Morse north of 466) built this way to accommodate a dedicated walking path? I noticed that several months ago when hubby and I took a drive down south. I said to hubby at the time that I much prefered to have a dedicated multi modal path than share a busy roadway like Meggison Rd and Morse north of 466. I'm not a walker or biker so the dedicated walking paths are not important to me as they would be to those who are avid walkers and bikers.

Good to know the entire stretch of Meggison does not have a cart path alongside.

No.

There is no walking path when a road has a cart path alongside. Look at Meggison above Sawgrass or Morse or Buena Vista.

When there is no cart path alongside (like Meggison below Sawgrass or Fenney Way), they have a dedicated walking/biking path, which we walkers and bikers truly appreciate.

They are already (not just contractors) hitting 50 mph and more.

New homes are going up everywhere there is space for them, it seems. The developers will continue to build, that’s their plan. In a few years, it will become more like a bustling metropolis, rather than the peaceful retirement community people sought when they moved here.

The population is about 135,000 now. What is your definition of a bustling metropolis?

The real question is why Meggison north (from 44 to sawgrass) is four lanes with a golf cart path about 10 yards off the road and Meggison south (from sawgrass to 470) is two lanes with golf cart lanes in the roadway. Do the residents of Richmond, St Johns, Hawkins, Cason Hammock, and St Catherines deserve safer roads than residents living south of there? Were there a lot of accidents in Meggison north and the engineers thought the south design is safer?

When there is an accident, maybe Dan or Morgan & Morgan will get the answer.

Well to The Villages.

We’ve been living in The Villages for 12 years now and are on our sixth home. Currently in Citrus Grove. Traffic always gets worse after a year or two when you move into a new house. Just drive north of 44. It’s a traffic zoo at times.

New areas are lighter on traffic because all the people are not there yet. I thought it was funny when I asked someone why they liked the southern area better and they said it was “quiet.” Well, it wasn’t fully developed yet! I hate to drive up to the most northern areas because the traffic congestion is terrible but that is where all the new businesses seem to go. It will get busier and busier as all the people move in. Also the road and paths may have to be different in the south due to building constraints due to wet lands and such.

When we moved here there WAS no development yet - and we couldn't see how the area would be built. I thought they would follow the model of the other 77 Villages - gates, roundabouts, etc.

I am the VHA Neighborhood Rep in Citrus Grove (and will be in Newell in June). We have been trying to address this since the Spring. The powers that be (developer, WPD, Sumter County) state this was engineered appropriately. I am going to the Town Hall to bring this to light - again. I was told this is how it is on Morse north of 466 - NOT TRUE; there are three traffic lights up there. In Newell, Lake County has no east way to respond to emergencies as Meggison Road does not go through to CR 470 yet. This CANNOT be safe for the Lake County residents of Newell who start to move in THIS MONTH.

Not going to happen. Meggison is MUCH closer to the turnpike than MacNeil. And there is no light and/or left turn to contend with.

The current population according to The Daily Sun is 144,700.

Thus one of the reasons we bought up north. Much less traffic. Throw in no bond, better shopping, more golf courses, and trees.

Hate Shortcuts
 

Um ya, everyone likes to drive farther to get somewhere? I understand and respect what you have said, but I know for a fact that airport shuttles from Orlando are already eyeing the opening of the Meggison 470 junction. The shuttle driver we used on Groome mentioned it when we returned last week from visiting family.

You must have a low threshold of pain. The traffic in most cities is 4 or 5 times worse.

Unsafe
 

It is becoming unsafe to cross our cart at the Citrus Grove gate and the 2 lane is driven on like it is a four lane. I hate even going to the post office. The golf cart path shared with the road is dangerous.

I understand that this is an important issue to you Mr. or Mrs. OP.

Me personally, I couldn’t give a Fig Newton about noise from the Pike or any other road anywhere in The Villages. I’m about a mile or so from 441 in The Historic Section and was going to start a petition about the road noise and the occasional noise from Spanish Springs Town Square. Since nobody over here can hear I got no support on that issue. I normally can’t hear NOTHING anyway, just ask my wifey.

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that Meggison Road is such a winding, curvy highway where the lanes seem to be a bit narrower than other major roads. When I drive down it, I imagine this is like a Formula 1 track. I'm unaware if this feature has led to a higher incidence of auto accidents. I just do not understand why it was designed this way and not have a straighter, albeit a more boring, construction.

It is doubtful that cost cutting was the major factor behind the design of Meggison. All of the infrastructure in new construction areas, including roads, is recaptured by the bonds issued in those areas. So, in essence, these construction costs will be borne by the new homeowners. And don't think for a minute that there aren't multiple levels of approvals attached to new roadway development.

What explanation do they give for changing the design of Meggison south of sawgrass? Is it safer than Meggison north? Or Buena Vista and Morse south of 466?

Much less traffic!!!! Are you kidding? That’s one of the reasons we didn’t buy up north, because of the gridlock.

All of the growth in The Villages is going way to fast. It’s all about selling house
 

Sell sell sell all about money with no concern about traffic and people

Same old, same old! It is like it is all over the country! When people move to a desirable place, they want it to stay the same as when they moved there! They don’t want anyone else coming in and screwing up their great place! Not in my new back yard!