Not the correct solution. Still have most of the traffic eventually going down Colony Blvd. A cheaper and better solution would be to extend the cart path down to the bank, swing it North around behind the bank, staying on the golf course, re-enter the parking lot at the far North end of Sembler Way. Keep the crossing by the Rec center open. You have now drastically reduced the congestion at the old crossing, reduced the traffic on Colony going to the shopping center, cut down on the volume at Colony and Sembler and done it for a lot less than $400K. The only place that gets a traffic increase is the North end of Sembler that currently has very little. It's my money also.

So true Mike!

I think it's a reasonable solution.

The problem now is that for south bound carts to enter colony plaza they have to cross two lanes of traffic plus watch for north bound carts before turning east into colony. Same is true for North bound carts they must cross two lanes of traffic and beware of carts turning east in front of them. That is what makes this intersection so dangerous.

I would guess that they will eliminate the three lanes on Colony blvd. and add dedicated cart lanes in addition to auto lanes This is just painting cost (not sure there is room for that). In any event all carts going to Colony Plaza will enter The boulevard from the south and only have to merge into the east bound car traffic and if there is room for a cart lane it will be very easy and safe.

Leaving Colony plaza will be slightly more difficult for carts as they will have to travel west on colony blvd. pass under the new bridge and cross incoming auto traffic. It will be only one incoming lane to deal with and should be safer by far.

I also think the best solution would be to eliminate auto traffic on Colony blvd. but that's probably not going to happen. Both the existing commercial properties and potential new renters would have a big problem with the contorted methods required to enter their businesses and no drive buy access along Colony blvd.

JMO
Tom

I hope it happens.
I'll believe it when I see it.

A lot of speculation and no factual specifications on the proposed bridge. One can only hope that it would be a bit wider than the one over U.S. 441. hopefully, also wider than the Lake Sumter bridge too. I would think much could be learned from those two bridges.

With all the golf cart traffic in TV, another tunnel under 466A would have been preferred. I wonder if the TV engineers have grossly under estimated in their planning the amount of golf cart traffic in TV.

Looks like a good plan to me!

First off your going to have 2K plus additional homes coming from Fruitland Park, the cost is estimated at 400K without design, architectural and engineer drawings. I'll bet it breaks the 500K mark. Also parking spots will be lost at Colony Rec center and the E/W traffic is still going to be crossing Colony to get back to the S/S of the bridge if they go to the shopping area from what I saw in the drawing. I agree the road closure after Colony Rec Center going East and closed going West after the Bank & Wallgreen parking lot would be the cheapest and easiest.

But isn't that road, not The Villages property, rather the property of Sumter County? It appears to me that bridging it is something The Villages can do. Only the county could close it.


Please point out if I am wrong here. AND if it went above half a million, even to a million, and it came back to land on any of us, which is doubtful, it would be shy of twenty bucks a household. We all worry too much. SOMETHING is being done, investigated, planned, discussed, worked on.............. I bet it will turn out great, just like all of the other stuff the Morses have a hand in.

This is a good place to insert
one of Bogie Shooter's famous quotes. "Patience Grasshopper."