Motorists urged to remain aware when driving in U.S. Hwy. 27/441 construction zone

Motorists are being urged to remain aware when traveling through the U.S. Hwy. 27/441 construction zone in Lady Lake.

The Lady Lake Police Department continues to stress the importance of being alert with regard to traffic patterns and speed limits that will vary creating hazardous driving conditions.

“Give yourself enough time to reach your destination safely,” said Police Chief Robert Tempesta.

There have been numerous accidents in the construction zone, including a crash last month that claimed the lives of two teens. Police said the driver, 18-year-old Xander Babcock of Fruitland Park, had been driving “too fast for conditions” in the moments leading up to the early morning crash.

In March, a power line snapped in the construction zone and the ensuing outage brought chaos and confusion to the roadway.

In February, the U.S. Hwy. 27/441 project was shut down temporarily after construction worker John Terranova was buried alive when a wall collapsed around him at the site.

The $45 million widening project from Lake Ella Road to Avenida Central (at Griffin Avenue) in The Villages is expected to continue through fall 2023.