Let's see: Two Stop signs $400.00, bridge over trouble waters $400,000. what is the fee for the ones that came up with the recomendation, Don't they get a % of final cost.

According to the current drawing, there will be no left turns after a bridge is built for southbound carts. There will be two right hand turns going southbound to get to the plaza; one left turn & one right turn for northbound carts. The green filled areas added to the map help to see this.

I agree Golf2140. There are cheaper solutions that would be just as effective in reducing the potential traffic crashes at that location.

I haven't seen any numbers, but IMHO a vast majority of golf carts are those traveling southbound and turning left to head to the shopping plaza or those traveling westbound and turning left on the cart path from Colony to head back towards 466A. A small percentage of carts are traveling straight across Colony (north/south) and a bridge would work for them.

I hope it is wider than the one over 441 at Spanish Springs.

Don't think the problem is taking a left into the plaza. The problem comes at the intersection where the people are now directing traffic. Never had a problem turning into the plaza as that is done with the flow of traffic (i.e. no stop sign).

And who is paying for this bridge? I'm thinking it will come back to residents in some way, then I vote for shutting that section of the road down to car traffic. Before they build an expensive bridge they should try other options.

Are you going north or south?

It seems to me that blocking Colony to autos past the entrance to the rec center heading East and shutting down Colony completely heading West from shopping center would be the easiest and least expensive way to solve this problem. Last week I traveled South on Morse to 466A, turned left to the shopping center with no problem.

With all the good suggestions contained in this thread, I encourage each to contact the decision makers of the bridge proposal and appraise them of your thoughts.

This, however and unfortunately usually never happens. Proof? "Representation" in Washington, DC.

btk

Our "deal" is better than that one currently in Washington. Someone who pulls the strings here, knows how to build. SMART is how it is done here in THE VILLAGES.


And to Hema. IF, and I say IF, it fell on all of us financially; do the math. $400,000 divided by 50.000 homes.


I think that is eight bucks.


Not bad for a pretty good fix.

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.