Caught Between Growth and Gridlock
Lake Alfred, Florida was once quiet little town…now it’s in the crosshairs of a growing traffic issue. With a population that has surged nearly 21% since 2020 and is growing at around 3.55% annually, the city is feeling the pains, as some residents call it, of growth.  
The main reason? US 17/92, splitting into Shinn Boulevard and Lake Shore Way through downtown, and the new access to I 4. It is thought by most locals that the congestion doesn’t come from locals, it’s the  through-traffic. To further cement this thought, in a quote from former City Manager Ryan Leavengood: “90% of the traffic coming through Lake Alfred is not local and is headed to I 4 east toward Orlando.”. 
Local residents are starting to sound off. Drives that used to take minutes, now take twice as long. As one resident at a local park put it, ”The traffic has just become crazy in-town since we moved here 7 years ago. There are so many of my neighbors that remember when crossing Shinn Boulevard was a breeze.
In response, Polk County and the state have made some moves:
• CR 557 is being widened from two to four lanes between I 4 and US 17/92 through Lake Alfred.  
• I 4 itself is being expanded under the Moving Florida Forward initiative—adding managed toll lanes to increase capacity between Polk and Osceola counties.  
• Downtown, “lane repurposing” is planned to slow traffic and improve pedestrian access: more signals, restored traffic flow, and turning Lake Shore Way into a local main street.  
• The CR 557 widening will include signalization at key intersections like Pomelo Road to reduce bottlenecks. 
The fact of the matter is, Lake Alfred is caught in a sort of tug-of-war…stay like they are or grow. Some say there’s not much choice, but they still don’t “approve”. Many residents want to keep the small-town feel (author included), but the increase in traffic makes some changes not just needed but required. Funding to do all of the work is also a huge challenge, especially since many of the roads are under county or state responsibility.  
In the video you see a typical weekday…cars backed up through the middle of town trying to turn toward I 4. The that are trying to get onto. As trucks roll down Shinn Boulevard and school zone pick-up lines grow forever longer,  it’s frustrating for residents. 
And then, According to the minutes of a March 2025 City Commission meeting, residents were able to voice their concerns about getting in and out of their driveways during school traffic, asking for better safety and enforcement of city statutes. Will it work? Only time will tell if all the changes come together and tone down the once quiet town of Lake Alfred.

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