As Lake County rushes to upgrade the road to the start of the school, businesses are wary of traffic impacts.
COUNTY OF LAKES, Florida. The small business owner said he was concerned about how a new construction project along County Road 437 could affect his business in the coming weeks.
Road repairs began Monday morning along County Road 437 from State Road 44 to Sorrento Avenue. The project includes the repair and construction of a 4-foot paved shoulder on both sides of the roadway.
Sunrise Grill owner Michael Spradlin said he had already heard his customers talk about the impact of traffic.
“I heard customers complain several times about how long they waited today,” Spradlin said. “Even someone said they waited 30 minutes on that road.”
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Spradlin said his commute was also affected by traffic on his way to work on Monday morning.
“I sat for about 10 minutes at a traffic light to turn right onto the 437,” Spradlin said. “I thought it might be an accident, but then I saw one lane ahead and realized what was going on.”
Lake County shared a post on Monday informing residents of the start of construction. In the post, they warn people of lane closures, traffic delays and difficult driving conditions. County Road 437 runs directly across from Sorrento Elementary School.
One person commented and mentioned that the asphalt repair project is taking place shortly before school starts. We asked the district if parents whose children attend Sorrento Primary School should find an alternative route.
The district’s email reads: “Construction is scheduled to be completed on August 4, 2023 prior to the start of school on August 10, 2023.”
We also asked the district why the construction was being done so close to the start of the school. In the same email, the county told us that the project was supposed to start in early June, but was delayed due to the lack of a contractor.
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