Road work approved for Floresta Boulevard

By CHRIS YOUNG

City Council members on Monday unanimously approved a conceptual plan for widening traffic-clogged Floresta Boulevard.

Floresta already receives an "F" grade for traffic conditions from south of Port St. Lucie Boulevard north to where the planned Crosstown Parkway will cross it, at about West Virginia Drive.

But officials said adding one lane in each direction for a 4.1-mile stretch on Floresta from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard should alleviate the gridlock and improve north-south traffic flow.

"The project has to be done in a major way to address long-term transportation needed for that roadway," said City Manager Don Cooper.

Officials estimate the expansion could cost about $7 million per mile because of high construction costs, and more if the city has to buy property.

The first segment of the plan, from Southbend to the Elkcam Waterway, could start in the next two years.
The proposed Floresta plan includes traffic light improvements at Port St. Lucie Boulevard, Crosstown Parkway and Prima Vista, and roundabouts at six neighborhood streets. They are Oakridge Drive, Thanksgiving Avenue, Thornhill Drive, Walters Terrace, Fallon Drive and Naranja Avenue.

There also would be four drainage ponds, sidewalks and streetlights, and landscaped medians.
Very little property would have to be bought by the city, though the roundabouts may require taking the edges of some corner properties, said Brian Mirson, from American Consulting Engineers of Florida.

The plan also proposes maintaining residential land usage along the corridor and discouraging commercialization.

The Planning & Zoning Board will discuss the plan, with public hearings, at a future meeting. City Council will then review the Board's recommendation.

PROPOSED FLORESTA IMPROVEMENTS
• Widening one lane in each direction from Southbend Boulevard to Prima Vista Boulevard.
• Improving traffic signals at three major intersections.
• Building roundabouts at six neighborhood streets.
• Adding sidewalks, streetlights and landscaped medians.