Rosedale Golf & Country Club: How 44th Avenue East Changed Your Back Gate

If you're back at Rosedale Golf & Country Club for the season, your front gate works the way it always has. 87th Street East runs down to the signal at State Road 70, and you head east or west from there.

The back gate is a different story. It opens onto 44th Avenue East, and that road now goes much farther than it did before you left. Here's what changed, where the traffic went, and how I'd use each gate this season.

I'm Theresa DiNapoli. I spent 25 years in finance, including as a CFO, before I became a Lakewood Ranch REALTOR®. How easily you get in and out of a community is part of what you're paying for, so I watch these road changes closely.

The road behind your back gate

The final piece of the 44th Avenue East extension opened to drivers on August 9, 2025. It finally links Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch with a road that crosses over I-75. That last stretch, about 1.9 miles and roughly $160 million, added the I-75 overpass, a bridge over the lake at the county's Southeast Water Reclamation Facility, and a roundabout at Lena Road. An earlier phase added the bridge over the Braden River.

The county built it to carry up to 36,000 vehicles a day and expected it to take about 21,000 a day off SR 64 and SR 70 combined.

Here's what that means for you, gate by gate:

• Back gate, heading east: over I-75, through the Lena Road roundabout, to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard.
• Back gate, heading west: over the Braden River toward Creekwood and 45th Street East.
• Front gate: 87th Street East to the signal at SR 70, same as always.
• Front gate via 54th Drive East: north to Lena Road, which now connects through to SR 64.

West across the river

The westbound side is the one many returning residents haven't tried yet. Creekwood Park sits just across the Braden River at 7025 44th Avenue East, with a playground, pavilion, dog park and walking trail. Before the extension, getting there meant going out to SR 70 and back.

The side roads there are slower now. In December 2025, county commissioners lowered Morgan Johnson Road between SR 64 and 44th Avenue East from 40 to 35 mph, and set Creekwood Boulevard between 44th and SR 70 at 30 mph. Watch for the new signs.

The Lena Road shortcut

Since October 1, 2025, Lena Road has connected SR 64 and SR 70. It isn't a straight shot. Between 41st Avenue East and the Lena Road Landfill, drivers jog west and run alongside 81st Court East.

For Rosedale, that's a convenience and a concern. You can now take 54th Drive East to Lena Road and head north. But drivers from outside the community could use the same route to reach your signal at 87th Street East and SR 70.

The county responded on July 29, 2025, with an ordinance that bars commercial vehicles from using 54th Drive East and the winding section of Lena Road near the landfill as a through route. The long-range plan is to straighten that segment of Lena Road, but that work isn't built yet.

Where the traffic actually went

The pressure didn't land at Rosedale's gates. It moved east, to Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, where 44th Avenue East ends.

Southbound drivers who can't turn left at Wood Fern Trail have been making U-turns at the 44th Avenue light, and cars stack up there. In a June 2026 Your Observer report, Commissioner George Kruse said the 44th Avenue intersection would be a good spot for "an actual roundabout."

The county's next fixes are on Lakewood Ranch Boulevard between 44th Avenue East and SR 64:

• Wood Fern Trail: a new $319,250 traffic signal, which commissioners voted to speed up.
• Gatewood Drive: an identical $319,250 signal.
• East Manatee Fire Rescue Station 1: an emergency signal.
• Portal Crossing: a planned signal that isn't funded yet.

Completion is expected in late 2026 or early 2027. If you head east out the back gate this season, expect work along that stretch.

My rule of thumb for this season

• Front gate for SR 70 and the stores along it.
• Back gate west for Creekwood and anything across the Braden River.
• Back gate east toward Lakewood Ranch Boulevard, but expect signal work at Wood Fern Trail and Gatewood Drive until it's done.

What this means if you're buying or selling

If you're buying, drive both gates at 5 p.m. on a weekday, not 10 a.m. on a Sunday. Two gates and a new crosstown road give Rosedale more options than it had two years ago. Find out which one fits your daily routine before you choose a street.

If you're selling, buyers will ask about traffic. Rosedale now has a direct back-gate route to Lakewood Ranch and Bradenton, and that's a real selling point. A listing that explains both gates clearly gives buyers one less reason to hesitate.

Thinking about a move in or out of Rosedale? I'd be happy to talk through how 44th Avenue East and Lena Road fit your daily life. Reach out anytime.

Theresa DiNapoli, REALTOR®, CLHMS™, GRI, ABR®, is a Lakewood Ranch real estate agent specializing in golf-deeded, luxury and resort-style communities in Sarasota and Manatee Counties. A former hedge fund CFO, she holds the highest recorded sale in Esplanade at Lakewood Ranch. Live Your Best Life.