Roundabout construction will lock up University Parkway in Lakewood Ranch

There's no doubt the intersection at University Parkway and Deer Drive/Legacy Boulevard needs an upgrade.

The existing left turn lanes in both directions are way too short. Turning traffic often spills into the travel lanes causing back ups. However, the roundabout plan being promoted by SMR CEO Rex Jensen is the wrong fix.

Country Club residents have voiced their many concerns in opposing a roundabout. Unfortunately, Jensen seems to have turned a deaf ear to their concerns. At his recent "community outreach" meeting he focussed on promoting the roundabout plan. Not surprising that some attendees walked out.

Roundabouts don't just appear like magic. There would surely be massive backups on University Parkway during a 12-18 month, or longer, construction period. Jensen has not provided any plan for traffic management during construction.

There are other important stakeholders whose concerns are being ignored. What about the thousands of us living east of the site who must travel University Parkway? For residents of Wild Blue, Concession, Lake Club,The Isles  and Country Club East, there are no easily accessible alternative routes to reach destinations west of the intersection, like UTC, I-75, the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center or workplaces.

During construction, are we supposed to detour north along Lorraine Road, through two congested school zones, to join the traffic mess on Highway 70? Or, perhaps we should detour through Waterside along quiet residential streets? Or, maybe the Country Club could be persuaded to open its Lorraine Road gate, so we could detour through its limited road system?

Clearly, none of these alternatives make sense for managing a large volume of traffic. Once the roundabout is built, there would likely be delays caused by large vehicles trying to navigate its tight curves. Besides the large landscaping vehicles entering the Country Club, there is heavy truck traffic from the many construction sites east of Lorraine. Would the benefits of the roundabout be so great that University Parkway drivers should tolerate these hassles? I say no.  A roundabout at this location is truly a solution in search of a problem.

A few observations from viewing the Aug. 7 Board of Country Commissioners meeting. At its November 2024 meeting, the previous developer-friendly board shamefully tried to conceal the roundabout plan in its "consent" agenda. Somehow, a contract for roundabout contruction became a "reimbursement agreement." At the recent meeting, Commissioner Jason Beardon did a great job probing how this major project became a "consent" item. Commissioner Bob McCann rightfully pointed out that the contract could be in violation of Florida's Sunshine Laws, because of its manner of approval and lack of public notice.

Commissioners should not just roll over in facing Jensen's bully tactics threatening litigation. They would seem to have a good case for cancelling a contract, which could be voided for Sunshine non-compliance.

–Rogere Bonke, The Isles of Lakewood Ranch