Residents living near Kanner Highway say speeding vehicles and growing traffic noise are creating safety concerns and disrupting daily life in their neighborhoods.
Kanner Highway is one of Martin County’s busiest roadways, with drivers frequently traveling above the posted speed limit, according to nearby residents.
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“People are doing 60 to 65 to 70 miles an hour down this road,” said Banyan Bay resident Michael Centrella.
Some neighbors say the issue has become so common that it has earned a nickname within the community.
“Everyone in the neighborhoods is now calling this ‘Kanner Speedway,’” Centrella said.
Residents from the Banyan Bay development met on Tuesday to share their concerns, saying speeding and traffic volume continue to increase with little relief.
“The problem is, it’s only going to get worse,” one resident said during the gathering.
Neighbors say drivers exiting Interstate 95 often fail to slow down as they transition onto Kanner Highway.
“They get off 95 and there is no slowing down. Their mentality is we’re still on a major highway,” said Banyan Bay resident Craig Colagen.
Residents also say the traffic has made the area significantly noisier, especially at peak hours.
“The speeding does create a lot of unnecessary noise,” Centrella said.
Cheryl Miller, who also lives in Banyan Bay, said some vehicles contribute to the problem.
“They’re speeding and they have modified their vehicle so they are making more noise,” Miller said.
“We have to really raise our voices to be heard [outside] because the sound is amplified from the road,” added Colagen. “We find that two and three times a week they have drag races from this point because they like the sound amplifying off the one wall that we have and it comes into our neighborhood.”
Neighbors say they want Martin County and the Florida Department of Transportation to take action to slow traffic and reduce noise.
“There needs to be some more traffic lights to allow these communities to have access to Kanner [Highway] as well and not be endangered by trying to have to pull out in front of a speeding car,” Centrella said.
“I’d like to see more traffic enforcement on this stretch. I’d like to see some barrier to sound,” Colagen said.
“The mitigation needs to start with enforcing the laws that are in place. There are speed limit laws. There are sound ordinance laws,” Miller added.
WPTV News reached out to Martin County Commissioner Stacey Hetherington. While she was unavailable Tuesday, plans are being made to discuss the residents’ concerns next week. WPTV also contacted the Florida Department of Transportation and is awaiting a response.
Residents say they hope changes come soon.
“It’s just unacceptable, so something has to give and change,” Miller said.
Centrella said the issue goes beyond inconvenience.
“It’s a quality of life thing. It’s a safety thing. It’s only a matter of time until someone gets killed here,” he said.
Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
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