Construction of toll road begins cutting across Marshall Hampton Reserve near Winter Haven
WINTER HAVEN — A visitor to the Marshall Hampton Reserve near Winter Haven will notice a dramatic change in the views.
A tall, chain-link fence runs at a diagonal across the back side of the Polk County recreational property, south of the entrance and parking area on Thornhill Road. Further south, mounds of dirt, large pipes and construction machinery occupy land stretching almost to the bridge over Lake Lena Drain.
The disruption of the landscape indicates progress on construction of the Central Polk Parkway, a toll road that will eventually connect the Polk Parkway to U.S. 17. Construction began in March on the 6.5-mile spur, which is scheduled for completion in 2029, according to Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise.
The Central Polk Parkway, a four-lane road with toll plazas, carries a cost of $257 million and will be funded through tolls collected from Florida’s Turnpike facilities.
The Florida Department of Transportation completed a planning study for the highway in 2011 and began design of the road before transferring the project to the Turnpike Enterprise in 2017. The highway is planned as part of a long-term expansion of the Polk Parkway, a toll road completed in 1999.
The Turnpike Enterprise ultimately plans to extend the segment from U.S. 17 to State Road 60 near Connersville Road. The agency is in the project-development and study phases for further segments that would cross U.S. 27 and turn north before connecting with Interstate 4 in northeast Polk County.
A map created by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise shows the Central Polk Parkway running southeast from the Polk Parkway interchange and then turning south on the east side of Lake Hancock. The design shows the highway connecting to U.S. 17 just west of Bartow Executive Airport, with no exits planned between the two ends.
The Turnpike Enterprise says the highway, officially designated State Road 570B, will serve future traffic needs by accommodating population, providing a more direct north-south route for commuters and truck traffic and improving emergency evacuation options.
Evidence of the construction can be seen on the north side of Winter Lake Road (State Road 540), near the interchange with the Polk Parkway, where digging suggests a future retention pond.
A staging area has been established along Thornhill Road south of the Marshall Hampton Reserve entrance. On Wednesday morning, earth-moving machinery, a dumptruck and a few pickup trucks were present at the site. Concrete box culverts stood among large mounds of rock and dirt, along with stacks of industrial-sized plastic pipes. Surveying equipment could also be seen.
Contractors have begun digging at least two retention ponds along Thornhill Road. Land has also been cleared on the east side of the road, but no construction activity was taking place there.
The fence represents the boundary between the right-of-way for the highway and Marshall Hampton Reserve, said Gaye Sharpe, director of Polk County’s Parks and Natural Resources Division.
Near Florida Polytechnic: Proposed Auburndale development raises concerns for Innovation District
Planners have said that the Central Polk Parkway will cut across the current entrance and parking area for Marshall Hampton Reserve, a 1,173-acre property owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and managed by Polk County's Natural Resources Department.
The District sold 67.79 acres to the Turnpike Enterprise for the project, a spokesperson said. The land lies south of Winter Lake Road and west of Thornhill Road.
The design calls for the contractor to build a new trailhead and equestrian parking area farther south on Thornhill Road. The current entrance will be maintained until the new trailhead is completed, and on Wednesday morning three vehicles were parked in the unpaved lot.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on Twitter @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Portion of Hampton Reserve gives way to toll road near Winter Haven
