By Kyle Coppola
Traffic Solutions: Tavares Introduces Key Turn Lanes Into New Wawa
Good news for motorists who are excited about the new Wawa opening in Tavares. New turn lanes have been added to facilitate traffic flow to and from the location. While there is no turn lane crossing westbound traffic, a new westbound turn lane has been added. Additionally, a turn lane has been installed on Orange Ave for access in and out of Wawa.
(The new turn lane added to Orange Ave. This would be the exit leading to Hwy 441. The new turn lane leads into the business.)
Motorists hoping to turn left onto West Burleigh Boulevard/Hwy 441 will need to use the traffic light at Orange Ave. Not much of a change was made to the existing left hand turn lane at Orange Ave other than a fresh layer of blacktop.
Residents have voiced concerns about traffic entering and exiting this Wawa location, but efforts are underway to ensure the safety of motorists. The new turn lanes should help out.
We also have not heard if electric vehicle charging stations will be available, but most new Wawa locations have them. The business is large enough to fit charging stations but we cannot confirm yet where these would be located as construction is ongoing.
(The new west bound highway 441 turn lane that will lead into the business is separated by over 3 feet of space between west bound traffic and the turn lane which should help reduce traffic accidents. A new sidewalk has also been installed.)
These newly added turn lanes are a welcomed addition as the previous road lacked such lanes. The existing left turn lane off of 441 will lead to Orange Ave, likely providing the easiest access for trucks carrying trailers to the business.
(The new entry on Orange Ave to Wawa. The entry is large enough that trucks carrying trailers will find it fairly easy to navigate in and out of this section.)
The new Tavares Wawa will offer a variety of fresh food options, fuel services, surcharge-free ATMs, and free air pumps. Wawa is committed to making long-term investments in the over 1,000 communities it serves, and this new store will create at least 35 local jobs while becoming a dedicated community partner. Wawa stores are known for their strong support of local causes and in-store fundraising campaigns benefiting national and local non-profit partners.
Construction progress at this Wawa location is substantial. No grand opening date has been announced yet, but as construction nears completion, we will update with that information.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
