ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – In St. Johns County, some residents who live off Shores Boulevard said a new traffic median is making it harder and more dangerous to get home.
People who live on Sevilla Drive said a raised median installed in the middle of Shores Boulevard now blocks them from turning directly onto their street. Instead, they have to pass their entrance and make a U-turn.
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The change came a few months ago, when construction began on a new development down the road and the county widened Shores Boulevard from two lanes to four.
Residents said they were never told their access would change.
“We knew nothing. It just happened,” said Juanita Yates, who lives on Sevilla Drive.
Now, drivers headed home must use a median opening farther down the road, make a U-turn and then double back to reach Sevilla Drive. Yates and her neighbors said it’s not just inconvenient — it’s a safety concern.
“Safety vehicles, they can’t make that turn,” Yates said.
Another resident, Chandler, said his grandmother needed an ambulance about three weeks ago, but the paramedics couldn’t figure out which entrance to use.
“They had to go all the way down and turn left. She was having a hard time breathing,” Chandler said.
Yates said county staff suggested residents use a rear entrance instead, routing around to another road and then back up to Sevilla.
“The other alternative that they’ve given us is come around to the back and then come up to Sevilla, which, to my house, is a mile out of my way,” Yates said.
She shared an email from St. Johns County’s Chief Engineer, Clint Lynch, that explained the county’s position.
“Due to the number of roadway connections in the vicinity of Sevilla Drive, access spacing per code doesn’t allow for a median opening,” the email said.
In a phone call with News4JAX, the engineer said someone in the area had to go without a median break and that any change would require a traffic safety study or a code change.
He also acknowledged that the county would have preferred to place an opening at Sevilla because of how long the neighborhood has been there and how many people live there.
Lynch explained county code currently requires at least around 600 feet between median openings. One nearby opening is closer to around 400 feet away, which means the rules would need to be revised before an opening could be added at Sevilla.
News4JAX observed multiple drivers driving over the median near Sevilla instead of using the designated opening — something residents noted as unsafe.
Yates said residents have been pushing for change.
“We have written to the commissioners. We have been to commission meetings. We have done everything we knew to do, and they turned us down,” she said. “We feel like we’re being overlooked and penalized for this new development going on down here.”
Residents say their district commissioner, Clay Murphy, did bring up their concerns at a recent meeting and tried to get support to modify the median, but no other commissioners backed his motion.
News4JAX has been in contact with Murphy and plans to sit down with him to discuss the residents’ concerns when he is available. At the moment, he was out of town.