Country Club at Lakewood Ranch roadwork begins

Residents and visitors to the Country Club at Lakewood Ranch may see some delays in the coming weeks as contractors work to repair sections of road throughout the community.

Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts 2 and 5 have hired Gator Grading and Paving to repair and resurface sections of The Masters Avenue, Eagles Watch Way, Waterview Boulevard and Legacy Boulevard. The project cost is approximately $1 million.

Gator co-owner Mike Novack said repairs started Jan. 2 and will continue through mid- to late-February. Repairs will begin at The Masters Avenue, which will be repaved from Lakewood Ranch Boulevard to just past the transponder-only gate, and also at Legacy Boulevard, from University Parkway to The Masters Avenue.

Other repairs will be made at the entrance to Edgewater on Waterview Boulevard from University Parkway to the traffic circle just past the guardhouse, and on Eagles Watch Way from The Masters Avenue to just past Miramar.

“We’re going to try to get it done as quick as we can,” Novak said. “It depends on how much base work there is. That one’s kind of unknown until we get to it.”

Novak said the company will be removing about 7 inches of asphalt and base material. The job will correct cracking seen in the road so it will not come back. Water seeps into the cracks, allowing water to get into the road base and subbase, Novak said.

For the Legacy improvements, Gator will shut down one lane of traffic in each direction at a time to help expedite the process.

Town Hall Executive Director Anne Ross said the improvements are part of the district’s long-range plan to address roadway conditions and aging infrastructure within the districts.

“Legacy has seen a lot of wear and tear on it,” Ross said. “A number of years ago, the districts did some resurfacing on it, but they are seeing more areas that need work.

“What we’ve discovered in a more in-depth review this time is that more base work needs to be done. The original design (of the road) didn’t take into account the amount of traffic.”

In several sections along the roadway, Gator will be adding a thicker asphalt base to make it “heavier duty,” Ross said.

The projects are being funded out of transportation reserves, money set aside annually for road repair and other road-related projects.