A history of crashes, including two fatalities in 2016, is prompting changes to a median on U.S. 41, at Leonard Road.
The Florida Department of Transportation will close the existing full median opening and replace it with a directional median opening.
The median modification project is scheduled for completion by the end of April, according to FDOT representatives.
(Kathy Steele)
Motorists heading east on Leonard Road no longer will be able to turn left onto U.S. 41.
Motorists traveling north on U.S. 41, however, will be able to make a left turn at Leonard Road.
During the project, there will be intermittent lane closures from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The state transportation department’s data shows an increase in angle crashes, from three in 2013 to five in 2015 and five in 2016. Some accidents resulted in minor injuries, but in 2013 two serious injury accidents occurred.
Angle crashes occur when drivers leave the lane they are in and collide with another vehicle or roadside obstruction.
In April 2016, a motorcyclist died in a collision with an SUV. The driver of the SUV drove east on Leonard Road. There is a stop sign at Leonard where it meets U.S. 41 at a “T” intersection. The SUV driver turned north onto U.S. 41 from Leonard and into the path of the motorcyclist that was traveling down the highway, according to media reports.
Published April 5, 2017
