Polk County has completed the Imperial Lakes Boulevard Drainage Improvements Project, a major infrastructure effort designed to reduce roadway flooding and improve stormwater management within the Imperial Lakes community in Mulberry.
The $8.17 million project focused on a section of Imperial Lakes Boulevard near Country Club Lane, where roadway flooding has regularly occurred after significant rainfall. Imperial Lakes Boulevard serves as the only access route for several neighborhoods within the Imperial Lakes community. The completed improvements now protect the roadway from flooding impacts up to a 100-year-storm event.
The Polk County Roads and Drainage Division project included raising a 0.25-mile section of Imperial Lakes Boulevard, upgrading the existing storm sewer system and constructing wet detention ponds on the former golf course property to better manage and reduce stormwater runoff.
Additional improvements included a pipe replacement on Old Colony Road and the replacement of the Misty Lake outfall pipe to improve water flow from the lake.
Construction on the project began on Feb. 17, 2025 and was completed on April 20, 2026.
The project was funded using $7,118,649.93 in American Rescue Plan Funds.
The improvements are expected to enhance public safety, improve roadway reliability during severe weather events and strengthen stormwater infrastructure resilience within the Imperial Lakes community.
