LAKE COUNTY, Fla – Residents who live off of Hartwood Marsh Road have been waiting for the county to begin its road widening project from Highway 27 to Regency Hills Drive.
Some residents said the traffic on that road causes safety issues, and they avoid using it altogether if they can.
Beth Dobbs, who lives in Kings Ridge off of Hartwood Marsh Road, said most of the time traffic is bumper to bumper.
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“They need to do something. I don’t know how to impact everybody, but the widening should be done,” Dobbs said.
Dobbs said the traffic has a big impact on her day-to-day errands.
“I try to avoid it at all possibilities,” Dobbs said. “Even when I’m coming in, I try not to come down to 27 to this corner and turn on Hartwood Marsh going east because you can hardly even get on Hartwood Marsh at certain times of the day.”
A county spokesperson said the Hartwood Marsh widening project from Highway 27 to Regency Hills Drive was originally designed in the 2000s but the project was impacted by the economic crash.
In 2025, the county completed a redesign but cannot begin construction until grant funding becomes available in fiscal year 2027.
However, during the county’s recent commission meeting, Commissioner Sean Parks suggested the county take out a loan and repay it with a combination of impact fees and as grant funding becomes available to potentially get the project started by summer 2026.
“Let’s build the road, if we need to do a short-term loan that would be paid out within two to three years, or in two to three years when we get the money from DOT, I think we could do that,” Parks said during the commission meeting.
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Parks was going to bring up the project at the county commission’s Sept. 23 meeting, but it was tabled.
Vincent Niemiec, who lives off of Hartwood Marsh, also spoke at the recent county commission meeting and has been pushing for commissioners to get started on the project.
“We’re held hostage. If there’s traffic, there’s no way to get out of your community,” Niemiec said.
He added, “It’s very important to you know enjoy my retirement and not to just be a prisoner in my own community.”
Niemiec is also concerned about safety along Hartwood Marsh.
“It’s a safety concern to our police department. On the response time. It’s a safety concern on, EMS ambulances and a fire department for response time. One minute could mean a matter of life and death. And that’s why to me, it’s very important about getting this expanded,” he said.
The county commission is set to discuss the Hartwood Marsh project at its next meeting on Oct. 14.