Greyhawk Roundabout construction hits home stretch

Those who travel State Road 64 through the Greyhawk Boulevard/Pope Road roundabout have only been allowed to use a single lane in their direction — and likely have waited through traffic delays — over the last few months.

That is about to change as the $4.7 million project is expected to be completed in November.

“The Greyhawk roundabout is in the final phase of roadway construction,” said Barbara Catlin, the Florida Department of Transportation's community outreach manager, in an email to the Observer. “If our weather holds, we anticipate November.”

The latest traffic shift in the roundabout was designed to create a continuous traffic flow and eliminate traffic jams from motorists making left turns and U-turns. A left turn lane to Mill Run just to the east of the roundabout has been opened. 

According to FDOT, east-bound motorists needing to use Greyhawk Boulevard will have to use the Rye Road/White Eagle Boulevard roundabout to circle back to their destination. Pope Road, which comes into the roundabout from the south, is still closed at this time. 

Crews from Watson Civil Construction, the contractor performing the work on the project, are tentatively scheduled to place the final lift of asphalt on the GreyHawk Boulevard/Pope Road roundabout Oct. 10. State Road 64 will remain open in one lane in each direction with a speed limit of 25 miles per hour during the project, which also includes a traffic signal and pedestrian crossing at S.R. 64 at 117th Street East.

Catlin wrote that once the road work at the roundabout is completed, landscape work will begin..

“The landscaping likely will be done in first quarter 2022,” she wrote.

Once completed, the GreyHawk Roundabout will feature pedestrian-activated crosswalks, lighting and landscaping. It will designated as the The Chase Coyner and Matthew Powers Memorial Roundabout in honor of the two Lakewood Ranch High School students who were killed in an accident at the intersection on Sept. 25, 2018. 

“The timing (of the dedication) will correspond to the completion of landscaping, most likely,” Catlin wrote. “If you’re not familiar, roundabouts have major safety benefits. That’s one of the reasons you see their deployment nationally.”

Construction of the S.R. 64 and Lorraine Road roundabout is expected to begin in fiscal year 2024.