HOWIE-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — A rural Lake County road built 100 years ago is about to go through a big test as upcoming developers put together plans to build a pair of projects nearby.

What You Need To Know

  • New developments want to connect to Number 2 Road in Lake County, resident Brittany Lerch says

  • Number 2 Road is very narrow in several spots, and even county officials say the 100-year-old road does not meet modern standards

  • Lake County officials say developers will have to widen road near proposed subdivisions

  • Lerch said she would prefer no new connections to Number 2 Road

Resident Brittany Lerch says she is concerned new developments would bring more traffic and overwhelm the very narrow Number 2 Road.

“Pretty much every morning I pass the school bus, and I have to drive off the road or they have to drive off the road to accommodate me,” Lerch said.

Lerch lives nearby on 5 acres of land outside Howey-in-the-Hills.

County officials say Number 2 Road is a 6-mile stretch of roadway from State Road 19 to County Road 48 that was built 100 years ago as a farm-to-market road meant for low-volume traffic.

Using a measuring tape, Lerch showed how narrow Number 2 Road can get.

 “7 foot, 6 inches,” she said as she measured one of the road's lanes in one spot.

According to Lake County design standards, each lane of a modern two-lane road is required to be at least 12 feet wide.

Some Lake County officials have agreed that the 100-year-old road's design does not meet modern standards.

Lerch argues that adding more vehicles to the road from new developments would just make the situation worse.

“Just the near misses I’ve encountered in the years I lived here, I know firsthand the dangers of this road,” she said.

According to Howey-in-the-Hills town manager Sean O'Keefe, the town is requiring the two developments to have multiple access points, including on Number 2 Road.

But ultimately, it’s up to Lake County to approve the connections to Number 2 Road, since it’s county-owned.

While developers will have to widen the road near the proposed subdivisions, narrow lanes will remain elsewhere on Number 2 Road.

Lake County officials have also agreed to have the Public Works Department bring the narrowest section of roadway up to current standards.

Lerch said she doesn’t believe widening the road, which would affect current property owners, is the answer.

She said she wants Lake County to deny the new developments access to Number 2 Road because she hopes to keep the road, and her way of life, the way it is.

“I know development is already here,” Lerch said. “Obviously, a lot of decisions have been made, a lot of, you know, rural land changed. But I just want my kids to be able to choose this life if they want to and not have to be millionaires to afford it.”

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