The Villages will foot the construction bill for a $27-million widening of Central Parkway to U.S. 301.
Along the former corridor of County Road 470, the road is a key connection for the Middleton and Eastport areas between the Lake County line and U.S. 301.
Sumter County commissioners Tuesday night approved an amendment to a regional road agreement that calls for The Villages to pay for the widening with reimbursement by the county over 15 years.
The county also will pay for right-of-way acquisition and the design costs.
County Administrator Bradley Arnold said the amendment allows the widening project to move faster than if the county had to wait to allocate the money.
He said it also allows Sumter County to focus its resources on improvements at the intersection of State Road 44 and Morse Boulevard, a traffic bottleneck where a Walmart Super Center is under construction.
First approved in 2018, the road agreement has allowed The Villages to finance construction of major roads south of State Road 44, such as Meggison Road and the Buena Vista Boulevard extension, with later county reimbursement. Most are four-lane roads.
The amendment is the fourth to the agreement and the first since 2021.