PORT ST. LUCIE \u2014 City officials are moving forward with a major redesign of the intersection at Village Parkway and Tradition Parkway, following a traffic study that expanded the scope of the project beyond its original focus on pedestrian and cyclist safety.<\/p>\n
The proposed improvements, presented by project consultants, aim to reconfigure lanes in all directions of the intersection to better manage traffic flow and improve access to Interstate 95.<\/p>\n
Alia Awwad, a project manager with DRMP, outlined the changes during a presentation to city staff, beginning with adjustments to eastbound traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur analysis showed that an additional right-turn lane is needed for that approach. And then we also extended the left-turn lanes to maximize that storage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Plans for westbound traffic include modifications designed to reduce bottlenecks and improve throughput toward the interstate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s currently two through lanes and a dedicated right-turn lane. To maximize access to 95, we proposed converting that right-turn lane into a shared through to allow a little bit more through lanes and minimize the bottlenecks in that approach. Similarly, we are proposing a blankout sign, and that really goes to the whole of the intersection,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For northbound drivers, the redesign shifts lane usage to accommodate higher turning demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoing northbound right now, there are three through lanes. Our analysis showed that there is more capacity that is needed to turn right to access 95. And so we\u2019re proposing to convert one of those through lanes into a dedicated right. So you\u2019ll have two right-turn lanes going northbound onto eastbound,\u201d Awwad said.<\/p>\n
Southbound traffic would see similar adjustments, with additional capacity for left turns.<\/p>\n
\u201cFinally, for the southbound approach, similarly, we have three through lanes. And so we\u2019re recommending converting one of those through lanes into a third left-turn lane. And as you can see here, there\u2019s a pattern where we\u2019re trying to work with the footprint that we have the right-of-way and that at the same time maximizes access to 95 to really kind of flush out the traffic and minimize the overall congestion,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The project also incorporates pedestrian-focused features, including leading pedestrian intervals, new signage, and signal adjustments. Officials said the goal is to balance safety improvements with increased vehicle capacity within the existing right-of-way.<\/p>\n
Community input played a role in shaping the final design. Awwad said feedback gathered during meetings last August led to additional modifications without expanding the project footprint.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on this feedback, we looked at what could be done and we were able to add an additional dedicated right-turn lane and still have three through lanes within the existing right-of-way. There are some impacts right now it\u2019s swell, so we just have to do some regrading, but we also have to extend the through lane and the right-turn lane further west,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Engineers evaluated multiple design options, ultimately identifying one alternative as the most effective at reducing congestion based on several traffic performance measures.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking at that, we found that alternative build three, the one we basically did the final improvements in and folded in the community\u2019s feedback, provides you with that lowest B over C ratio, dramatically reduces delay in the afternoon. We also looked at the queuing in terms of how far back from the intersection the cars queue up and alternative three really presented that least amount of congestion in those different kinds of measures,\u201d Awwad said.<\/p>\n
According to the study, while all scenarios still result in a failing level of service during peak evening hours, the selected design offers the lowest delays and the only volume-to-capacity ratio below 1, indicating improved traffic flow compared to other options.<\/p>\n
The preferred plan includes extending turn lanes, maintaining a dedicated eastbound right-turn lane while adding a third through lane, relocating a bus stop to create additional space, and making drainage and lighting adjustments.<\/p>\n
The improvements come with a higher price tag than other options, with current estimates placing the cost at about $1.5 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo that\u2019s where that cost for alternative three is. Of course, we\u2019re still finalizing our plans. We\u2019re at 90 percent. The 100 percent will come up for that detailed final cost estimate. But this is based on design,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
City officials said the project aligns with broader priorities around infrastructure and traffic management.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is aligned with residents number one concern, traffic management. It also meets at least two of our city goals about high efficient infrastructure and safe and beautiful,\u201d said Antonio Balestrieri of the city\u2019s Public Works Department.<\/p>\n
The City Council approved moving forward with the preferred design. The next steps include finalizing construction plans and awarding a contract, with work expected to move ahead later this year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE \u2014 City officials are moving forward with a major redesign of the intersection at Village…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[171,173,172],"class_list":["post-241730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie","tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","tag-port-st-lucie-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}