The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and CSX Transportation have scheduled a full two-week closure of State Road 60 at the railroad crossing between Bartow and Lake Wales.
The closure begins Monday, July 27, 2026. It is expected to last until Monday, August 10, 2026, to allow CSX to fully rebuild the foundation and track structure across all four lanes, followed by structural repaving.
Because this is a major regional artery, specific detour routes have been mapped out to manage the traffic:
🚗 Local Passenger Vehicles & School Buses
Cars and buses will use local bypass routes to loop around the track construction:
- Westbound (Lake Wales to Bartow): Take Old Bartow Road north, enter the roundabout to head west on Old Lake Wales Road, and rejoin S.R. 60.
- Eastbound (Bartow to Lake Wales): Take Old Lake Wales Road north, enter the roundabout to head south on Old Bartow Road, and rejoin S.R. 60.
⛟ Commercial Trucks & Large Heavy Vehicles
Trucks are strictly prohibited from the local neighborhood bypass roads. They must use a mandatory 31-mile regional detour:
- Westbound: South on U.S. 27 $\rightarrow$ West on U.S. 98 $\rightarrow$ North on U.S. 17 back to S.R. 60.
- Eastbound: South on U.S. 17 $\rightarrow$ East on U.S. 98 $\rightarrow$ North on U.S. 27 back to S.R. 60.
Note: S.R. 60 will remain open to local business and residential access on either side of the actual crossing closure, but you won’t be able to cross the tracks themselves.
If you regularly travel that corridor, expect significant delays and plan for extra commute time starting the morning of the 27th!
They can’t close East bound lanes and route traffic around in the opposite lanes, then close West bounds and do the same thing? This is ridiculous.