- June 8, 2026
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Echo Lake’s Richard Brenner was so fed up with traffic and safety concerns at the intersection of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Wood Fern Trail that he reached out to his local representative, Commissioner Bob McCann, to request a traffic light.
He told McCann the intersection is "a real mess," especially when school is in session and parents are picking up their children from B.D. Gullet Elementary School and Dr. Mona Jain Middle School.
Brenner said a lot of southbound drivers on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard choose to pass Wood Fern Trail because it's too difficult to turn left. Instead, drivers u-turn at the light at 44th Avenue East and backtrack to access Wood Fern Trail.
Brenner noted that it’s equally dangerous to turn left from Wood Fern Trail onto Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.
At the June 2 commission meeting, McCann made a motion to expedite the installation of a traffic light at the intersection “before a fatal accident occurs."
The motion received a quick second from Commissioner George Kruse and passed unanimously.
Kruse called it a “terrible intersection” and said cars are starting to stack up at 44th Avenue East from the u-turns Brenner described.
“I think Lakewood Ranch and 44th Avenue East would be a good location for an actual roundabout," Kruse said. “And this could be a permanent light (at Lakewood Ranch and Wood Fern Trail) because there’s more through traffic now that 44th is being used more often.”
McCann’s motion was to expedite the project because a span wire traffic signal is already included in the capital improvement plan. The overall cost of $319,250 will be paid for using impact fees.
A span wire traffic signal can last 20 years, but it's considered temporary because they’re strung up with cables and poles. A roundabout or a traffic light that hangs from a steel mast arm is considered a permanent solution.
Instead of underground sensors, the signal will include an aboveground, “non-intrusive” vehicle detection system. The intersection will also be updated with pedestrian crossings.
Kruse said a temporary signal is an inexpensive fix that allows the county time to see if a signal will correct the issues and determine a permanent solution.
One thing Kruse is sure of right now — stop signs don’t work. People blow through them, he said.
“We had a master vision for speed management and intersection control on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard,” Director of Public Works Chad Butzow said. “There are three projects right in a row that are actually just getting underway right now.”
The vision targets Lakewood Ranch Boulevard between 44th Avenue East and State Road 64 and actually includes four projects — intersection improvements at Wood Fern Trail, Gatewood Drive and Portal Crossing and an emergency light in front of East Manatee Fire Rescue’s Station 1.
Only three projects are underway because one is not currently funded — the traffic light at Portal Crossing.
Butzow noted that roundabouts were "preferred" for the intersections.
However, the estimated cost to upgrade the three intersections was over $2.8 million in the FY2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan, and Manatee County didn't have the funding.
Each intersection was only partially funded for fiscal year 2025. For example, the overall budget for intersection improvements at Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Wood Fern Trail was $911,266, but only $159,766 was funded in fiscal year 2025.
Those improvements were proposed in June 2024, which was just the start of that year’s budgeting session. By September 2024, when the fiscal 2025 budget was adopted, all three intersection projects were placed on a “deferred list” due to a budget shortage.
Commissioners shifted gears a year later during the fiscal 2026 budget process and prioritized infrastructure maintenance and small projects that could make a big impact.
At that point, two out of the three intersection projects were scaled down but fully funded.
The plan for the intersection of Lakewood Ranch Boulevard and Gatewood Drive is identical to the plan for the intersection at Wood Fern Trail: a $319,250 span wire traffic signal.
Butzow said the traffic signals are running about six months behind schedule, but work will begin this summer and is anticipated to wrap up by late 2026 or early 2027.
