The County Council has approved a new development out at the corner of State Road 44 and Kepler Road. That is already one of the worst intersections in the area. There are backups nearly to I-4 from the east, but not quite to Lake County from the west.
The state plans a big traffic circle. The roads will widen to four lanes for just a few feet before the traffic circle, so you get two lanes into the circle from each direction.
It ought to be exciting for people in the inner lanes to cross all the traffic going around in the circle. I think the standard advice is “close your eyes and step on the gas.”
Remember, the state plan was crafted before the county added this new shopping center and more homes out there. Now it should be even more exciting because there will be more traffic, with more trucks serving the new shops. It is always fun to watch trucks navigate these road hazards.
Once they have navigated the traffic circle, they can jockey to get back into the correct lane. Leaving the traffic circle, both roads in both directions will promptly narrow back to two lanes. Actually, this should be fun for the cars, too.
If the challenges were those alone, they would probably be sufficient. Now, add in a busy gas station on one corner, and some sort of little strip center on another, and who-knows-what on the third corner. All of them will have people trying to get in and out.
The new development will also contribute people trying to get in and out. And in this election year, developers should be chipping in to help out.
The in-and-out will be across multiple lanes of traffic, emerging dizzily from the traffic circle. I am not saying it will be safe. I just advise that you should watch it from a safe distance.
In any event, the wrecks should be cheaper than at the racetrack in Daytona. More convenient, too, since you do not have to drive across the county or pay the France family for a ticket.
The County Council and the State are working together to bring us homegrown entertainment. That is probably what they are thinking about the added traffic — it will be fun to watch them go round and round and round and round in the traffic circle!
— Andrews is a DeLand-area attorney and a longtime government critic. For purposes of the column, he finds it convenient that there is so much government to criticize.
