Traffic was reduced to one lane Tuesday afternoon in a busy construction area on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 in Lady Lake after a hole opened up under a bridge support.
A construction crew was busy dumping gravel to fill in the hole at the bridge over County Road 25.
The $45 million construction project will widen U.S. Hwy. 27/441 from four to six lanes between Lake Ella Road and Avenida Central. Both northbound and southbound U.S. 441 will be expanded from two to three lanes, and bicycle lanes and sidewalks will be added along the length of the project. The Florida Department of Transportation is performing drainage work, adding signage, making lighting upgrades, making median access changes and will improve the aesthetics of the roadway with new landscaping.
A key aspect of the project is the removal of U.S. Hwy. 27/441 bridges over County Road 25, and the creation of a new, at-grade intersection at that location. County 25 will connect with U.S. Hwy. 27/441 on the east side of the highway via a signalized intersection but will end as a cul-de-sac on the west side of U.S. Hwy. 27/441.