New Traffic Signal Planned for Polk County’s Most Crash‑Prone Road
by James Coulter
Polk County’s most crash‑prone county‑owned road will receive a new traffic signal at an intersection long criticized for heavy congestion and confusing lane shifts.
At their regular meeting on Tues. July 7, the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) voted unanimously to approve a task order for engineering work to design improvements at the intersection of Kathleen Road and West Campbell Road in Lakeland.
The consultant services agreement (CSA) will be awarded to Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. to provide professional design services for intersection improvements.
These services are estimated to cost a total not-to-exceed fee of $273,004.60, with funds budgeted and available within the county’s Transportation Trust Fund.
One of the planned improvements is an interim traffic signal, which will later be replaced by a permanent signal installed after Kathleen Road is widened along that segment.
County staff has determined that the intersection meets the established “signalization warrants” required for adding a traffic signal.
Kathleen Road, particularly at the Campbell Road intersection, has been identified as one of Polk County’s top crash hotspots, marked by heavy traffic, confusing lane movements, and poor lighting.
Drivers say the lack of a traffic signal and unclear right‑of‑way make the intersection difficult to navigate, especially as development in the area has increased traffic volumes.
Many residents have described rush-hour conditions as “cars as far as the eye can see,” as reported by Spectrum News 9.
Over the past five years, 366 crashes and three fatalities have occurred on a 1.5-mile stretch of Kathleen Road, according to data from the Polk Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) as reported by the Lakeland Gazette.
Other frequent issues, as reported by the Lakeland Gazette, include bottlenecks created by lane drops from four lanes to two, poor nighttime lighting, awkward roadway geometry, heavy traffic volumes, rear‑end collisions, and pedestrian/bicycle injuries.
Polk County and the TPO have planned to mitigate these issues with several proposed upgrades, including stronger LED lighting, improved crosswalks, and smoother lane transitions.
A temporary signal has been placed at the Campbell Road intersection and is expected to be replaced by a permanent signal following the road’s widening.
County Manager Bill Beasley requested the board approve the task order for intersection improvements, including the interim signal, “given the growing concerns and congestion” along the corridor.
Commissioner Michael Scott noted that the intersection required a new signal, claiming that it would be better “than the current stop sign, which has led to issues.”
