To the Editor:
Everyone is talking about the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) proposal for improvements to A1A through Ponte Vedra Beach that were announced in mid-June and shared at a public meeting at the senior center on Landrum Lane on Tuesday, June 23.
The intersections addressed in these plans happen to be the same as those identified as opportunities for improvement in a North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO) study in 2017, which became the focus of the Ponte Vedra Beach Citizens Traffic Task Force (CTTF) community surveys to more than 8,000 homes in 2018 and 2023. In both cases, survey responses showed that 80% supported improvements at Solana Road, Sawgrass Village, TPC Boulevard and Mickler Road. Of the four, the Mickler Road/A1A intersection improvement was completed last year to universally positive comments from the community.
However, based on reactions at the June public meeting, FDOT’s communications about the proposed changes were unclear and/or too much for residents to digest at one time. Some attendees arrived with their negative opinions and “better ideas,” and, as is common at these meetings, the loudest voices dominated public comment.
It is important that our residents understand that these FDOT recommendations are proposals, not final plans, and this is not an all-or-nothing decision on the entire package. Residents are encouraged to carefully review the proposed plans and tell FDOT which aspects they support, and which they oppose.
The CTTF believes that particular attention should be paid to the Solana Road intersection with A1A. FDOT says that the proposed new design and associated traffic light configuration will reduce congestion of eastbound traffic on Solana and eliminate the chronic back-up of traffic on Solana westbound from the MSD. If so, the proposed Solana Road/A1A intersection improvement will be a significant time-savings benefit for residents of the Ponte Vedra MSD, Sawgrass Players Club, Marsh Landing and Palm Valley.
Special attention should also be given to the offset left turn lanes proposed at the TPC Boulevard and Sawgrass Village intersections. These improvements are critically needed since they will greatly reduce the risk of more deadly accidents at those intersections. Earlier this year, more than 1,700 Ponte Vedra Beach residents signed a petition urging FDOT to implement safety upgrades at those intersections and that is what FDOT is now suggesting. Residents do not have to support the proposed “no through traffic” component to support the offset left turn lanes. And while the CTTF has heard concerns about the effect on median landscaping, there is no reason that the plantings cannot be replaced and the medians made as appealing as ever.
The CTTF believes that individual projects within the overall FDOT plan will provide major benefits to our community. Please consider that doing nothing to improve A1A would be a serious mistake, especially as it relates to safety measures and traffic congestion at key intersections. Your thoughtful consideration will be a benefit to your neighbors in Ponte Vedra Beach and Palm Valley.
Sincerely,
Greg Leonard
President
PVB Citizens Traffic Task Force
