New study shows Lakeland drivers are spending more time stuck in traffic than ever before.

LAKELAND, FL. Roger, a lifelong Lakeland resident, gets excited just thinking about how much traffic has increased in the area.

“There’s too much traffic on my route, so many people have moved here,” Roger said.

Traffic congestion is a growing problem for Lakeland drivers as people move to Polk County in droves.

“On I-4, when you go here or there. I’m walking across the country. When I go to VA Tampa, I travel around the country. I never get on I-4,” Roger said.

Traffic in Lakeland is busier than ever before. A new report from StreetLight Data shows Lakeland has seen one of the largest increases in vehicle miles traveled since 2019.

Drivers now drive an average of 37% more miles per day than before the pandemic. Lakeland ranks in the top five in the country for miles driven.

“Depending on where I’m going because it seems like they have a lot of road construction going on right now which is causing longer wait times. I would say what would normally take 30 minutes would be more like 45 minutes to an hour for that travel time,” Tracy Kelly said.

Lakeland’s planning and transport manager said there were several projects in the works to ease congestion, but there were some challenges.

“Funding is always the biggest challenge, especially for locally funded projects, because locally we have very limited resources available. The South Wabash expansion is a $35 million project, so we are looking at other grant opportunities. and funding sources through our transportation planning organization to help offset some of those costs,” said Chuck Barmby, planning and transportation manager for the City of Lakeland.

In the meantime, drivers will have to be patient as Polk County’s growth doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.