State Road 548 (SR 548), also known as the Lakeland In-Town Bypass, is a short six-lane arterial in Lakeland, Florida, United States, opened in early 2004. It connects George Jenkins Boulevard (west of downtown) to U.S. Highway 98 (US 98) and SR 600 (Bartow Road and Main Street) east of downtown, allowing traffic to bypass downtown.
History
SR 548 began construction in 2002 and opened in 2004. In 2005 it was stalled by budget cuts only for construction to resume in 2006, with a scaled back design that excluded the originally proposed bridge over SR 539 (Kathleen Road) east of the bridge over Lakeland Junction."In-Town Bypass Back, but With Catches; Lakeland project delayed until 2007 and won't get bridge over Kathleen Road," by Bill Rufty (Lakeland Ledger; January 23, 2006; Updated January 24, 2006)"Years in the Making, Lakeland In-Town Bypass Opens at Last; Officials hope road will make downtown safer for pedestrians," by Shelley Rossetter (Lakeland Ledger; November 6, 2009)
Second phase SR 548 was extended west across SR 563 (Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue) and SR 539 (Kathleen Road) terminating at George Jenkins Boulevard west of downtown. This provides a full east–west bypass to supplement US 92 (Memorial Boulevard) and SR 400 (Interstate 4).*Phase Two of Lakeland In-Town Bypass nears completion (BayNews9; September 27, 2009)
Major intersections
References
External links
In-Town Bypass may open soon (Lakeland Ledger; October 23, 2009) FDOT Map of Polk County (Including SR 548)