Why Is Bartow Reopening a Closed Lowe’s Exit on North Wilson Avenue After 34 Crashes?
Correction: An earlier version of this story misidentified the public works director as Billy Brewer. His name is Groover.
This past August, Assistant City Manager Tray Towles was contacted by the Florida Department of Transportation, which raised concerns about the intersection of Van Fleet Drive and North Wilson Avenue. According to its research, data showed that since 2021, 34 accidents have occurred, with eight resulting in injuries and 26 resulting in property damage.
“It’s been brought to our attention that the intersection between Lowe’s and the Publix shopping center is problematic based on DOT’s evaluation,” said City Attorney Sean Parker as he introduced the item (Item 7.a.3). “Tray has been instrumental in communicating with Lowe’s and the shopping center property management company to advise them that there will be some changes.”
Towles, accompanied by Public Works Director Billy Groover, stated that a possible contributing factor was the west side of Lowe’s Home Improvement has been closed to customer traffic and is currently utilized for outdoor storage. As a result, there currently is only one point of entry and exit from North Wilson Avenue. Prior to this, a second entry and exit point existed from Blount Street, the road behind Lowe’s Home Improvement.
“In the last week of August, we met with the Florida Department of Transportation regarding some planning,” said Towles. “We discussed several intersections throughout the city, but one in particular that came up was the intersection on North Wilson Avenue between Publix and the Lowe’s shopping centers.”
After citing the number of incidents stemming as far back as 2021, commissioners were informed that in 2026 alone seven crashes had already happened, and there were still three months remaining in the calendar year.
Per Towles, much of this possibly stemmed from the location where entry and exit spots, one at Lowe’s and the other at Golden Gate Shopping Plaza (Publix), were practically parallel to one another.
“So, what you’re seeing there is that a lot of the time people are trying to get out of Publix; people are trying to get out of Lowe’s,” said Towles.
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Again, it was attributed to the west side of the Lowe’s parking lot having been closed and converted into a storage area for construction and gardening materials, among other items. With that, Towles, who joined the city in 2023, began research.
“So, one of the things that I had already been working on was whether or not this was an actual legal use of that area,” he said. In his review of the original approved site plans, he discovered the west side of the parking lot was supposed to allow for vehicular access. “That was actually an ingress-egress driveway. Traffic was always designed to go in and out of that driveway and never designed to be blocked off.”
He added that there were actual lined parking spaces in that area, as part of the Unified Land Development Code.
“So, I met with Lowe’s staff early last week, and I have got to agree to open up that side of Lowe’s,” Towles said, adding the process is underway. “If you drive past there now, you’ll see that they’ve already cleared out the actual drive-through path.”
However, the fence currently remains up because Lowe’s was given until the end of the month to remove some materials. Termed a “half agreement,” it is predicated upon the fact that there isn’t an area for some of the outdoor materials to be stored, other than in an area located on the north side of the property. Parking on that side will still be part of the configuration once it is returned to its original intent.
“Essentially, what I told them is I care less about the parking space that they’re taking up. I care more about traffic safety in that area,” said Towles. “By the end of the month, so we’ll start to see some relief in that area for traffic through the exit out the south side of that building, probably by Oct. 1.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the intersection at Van Fleet Drive and North Wilson Avenue a safety concern?
The Florida Department of Transportation reported that 34 accidents have happened at the intersection since 2021, with eight resulting in injuries and 26 resulting in property damage, prompting the city to take action.
How many crashes have happened at this Bartow intersection in 2026?
Assistant City Manager Tray Towles told commissioners that seven crashes had already happened in 2026 alone, with three months remaining in the calendar year.
Why was Lowe’s traffic backed up near the Publix shopping center?
The west side of Lowe’s Home Improvement had been closed to customer traffic and converted into an outdoor storage area, leaving only one point of entry and exit from North Wilson Avenue instead of the second exit point that previously existed onto Blount Street.
Is Lowe’s required to reopen the closed exit?
Towles said his review of the original approved site plans showed the west side of the parking lot was designed as an ingress-egress driveway that was never meant to be blocked off, and Lowe’s has agreed to reopen that side, with the process already underway.
When will drivers see relief from the traffic congestion near Lowe’s and Publix in Bartow?
Towles said Lowe’s was given until the end of the month to clear remaining materials from the area, with traffic relief expected through the reopened south side exit by around Oct. 1.
Sources: City of Bartow City Commission Regular Meeting agenda, Community Development & Neighborhood Services, Item No. 7.a.3, City of Bartow.
