If you are really interested, you could go right to the horses's mouth, and contact the Florida Department of Transportation. I'm sure there are permits The Villages had to secure if there was anything to do with the Turnpike, and FLDOT would be involved.

No Bridge Until 2021?
 

From what I have heard from some sources, the expected date is late 2020 or early 2021. Am I being pessimistic? I think not. Lets look at some facts.

No Man's Land:
The builder chose not to build between Hwy 44 and the Florida Turnpike. This created a “No Man's Land” between Hwy 44 and the turnpike. No homes, no lighting, no roads, no safety access. Just large secluded tracts of empty darkness at night. Would you drive a golf cart alone through that area in the darkness of the night? Think of the liability the builder would have if anyone were to have an unfortunate situation happen to them in that area. If I was the builder, I would not permit access until I had installed roads, lighting, had occupied homes, and built the safety intra-structure.

Distance:
In the Northern area (North of Hwy 44), the average distance between Town Squares is about five miles. This means that most, (I know, not all), people are within two and a half miles of a Square. This also means that most are within a fifteen to twenty minute golf cart ride of a Square. This golf cart life style is one of the main selling points of The Villages. What are the chances that someone would ride a golf cart thirty to forty five minutes to a Town Square in the evening and then home through “No Man's Land”? One of the main purposes of the Town Squares is to provide the Developer with a monthly income from the rental of the stores. A monthly rent of five thousand dollars is not uncommon. The developer has to attract the residents to the businesses to justify the rent. Income from residents of the southern areas, arriving by golf cart, would be negligible.

Air Rights:
The state of Florida is not going to just give away the air rights over the turnpike. The developer will have to pay either a monthly or yearly fee to lease the air rights. This fee helps keep us income-tax free. The minute the bridge goes up, the developer has to start paying the fee. Why would the builder want to pay the state for a bridge that connects to “No Man's Land”? If I was the builder, I would not put the bridge over the turnpike until it was profitable for me. Yes there is a bridge over Highway 44. We do not know what deal the developer made with the local county. A quick look while driving past the Hwy 44 bridge, Brownwood, will reveal that it has no access. In it's current state, it is just serving as a billboard, advertising “The Villages”. Development of the bridge in the Rohan area has come to a mysterious slowdown. (Additional information regarding air rights can be found at:
It’s Up in the Air: Air Rights in Modern Development – The Florida Bar)

Am I being too negative? I don't believe so. The Builder/Developer is a corporation. In our society, the first responsibility of a business is to make a profit. That profit then goes to the owners, or in the case of a publicly traded company, to the share holders. I do not expect “The Villages Corporation” to give me anything that is not profitable to them directly or indirectly. Remember the rule: Follow The Money.

Will I stay here? Heck Yes! I like the warm sand of Florida, I just choose not to bury my head in it. :-)

Cheers,
Eric

When the original developer did not complete Fenney the Villages only bought Fenney and did not own property to connect. After buying additional land and come up with a plan did the cart path work start.

Been told it will be about 20 minutes from Brownwood. It takes me about 60 minutes to Brownwood from home so this will be a nice ride.

Pine Ridge is 8+ miles to Sumter and Brownwood. People love it there so drive distances of that magnitude don't seen to be a problem.

So another opportunity for the developer to pull the wool over our eyes
 

We've been here almost two years in Fenney and we still laugh about the 10 minute golf cart ride from our location off Fenney Way that we were fed from the sales people. Again no way in hell. It'll be more like 30-40 minutes. Also, we have no stores to run to for gas or milk without driving into Wildwood or Rt. 44. The stores should have been put in two years ago. We've also have had to endure looking at the ugly mess as you drive up to the entrance of Fenney Way and now the huge dump trucks running back and forth. It'll be another two years before anything concrete will be put in place. I think it's time to live somewhere else.:ho:

Picture taken today from the Cub looking to the west of the Fenney gate towards 301
Dropbox - IMG_2460.JPG - Simplify your life

Really? First post in two years?

Thanks for the photo.

They make the most organized, pretty piles of dirt :coolsmiley:

Did I understand correctly premier homes are planned there?

Took us exactly 28 minutes this afternoon (by CAR) to get from HOGEYE (BEAUTIFUL area by the way!) parking lot to LSL parking lot behind Starbucks. That was from time we backed out of our space at Hogeye to the time we pulled into our space at LSL. Barely any traffic but plenty of roundabouts and more under construction! Gotta be a 45++ minute ride by golf cart. I'm guessing the majority of GC rides from "down south" would be to Brownwood and not LSL and SS. Saw a sign that said "Coming soon, connectivity to Disney and Universal." Looking forward to the 2 new villages called Micky and Minnie. ;)

Saw a small alligator in one of the small ponds along the Hogeye walking trail on the golf course ..... sure seeks like they are "planted" there for the efffect.

This is why I'm not worried at all that there will be more crowding of LSL and SS squares. I can't imagine folks routinely going to these two squares from down south.

It is more beautiful and serene south of 44 but (and that is a big "but"), it is just not convenient enough for us. We prefer to be closer to shopping and restaurants (441/27 corridor) and a hop skip and a jump to LSL by golf cart and SS which is 10 minutes by car for us.

As "they" always say, "location, location, location".

I am surprised the airport shuttle doesn’t yet make a stop south of 44. They must make good money on the taxi service from Brownwood. I always enjoy getting picked up at the shuttle in LSL by a golf cart.

Or maybe because there is no square down there.

Agreed which is why we chose down here in Amelia rather than Fenney area which was just being opened up when mwmoved here. Probably in 10 or so years it will be like it is here now but I may be pushing up daisies by then so I didn't want to wait! :D It is really really nice down there but was/is just too far off the beaten path for us. We can always drive up for some "serenity" on an as-needed basis as we did yesterday.

I think it’s easier to look at the Villages north of 44, and those Villages south of 44 not as one community, but as sister communities. They do have lots in common, and residents of one can access amenities in the other, but they aren’t catering to the same types of seniors. The north is the golf cart communities, with the MMPs meant for golf carts and easily accessible squares and commercial areas with markets and health care and restaurants. Folks that prefer that section often embrace the golf cart only mentality, leaving their cars in the garage while using their carts for all shopping, entertainment, and other transportation needs.

The south is more of a walking/running/biking community with miles of trails for those pursuits. People choosing the south are enjoying the quiet of nature with less sounds of gas golf carts. They are not adverse to driving for shopping or restaurants, as they probably would drive even if those things were within golf cart reach.

Both communities have tons of recreation opportunities. The developer is consistently getting the neighborhood recreation centers open as people move to the area. I think some of the most beautiful executive courses are in the south.

I think connectivity will be a bonus for both sides, but I think very few bought homes in the south thinking they were getting a golf cart community. Nature is the keystone of the south Villages.

Great photo, thanks!