ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – The Florida Department of Transportation wants to redesign a stretch of A1A — and the community did not stay quiet about the proposed plans.
FDOT held a public input meeting Tuesday at the Players Community Senior Center to present proposed safety improvements along the corridor running from Gnarled Oaks Drive to the Duval County line. The meeting drew a packed room with many residents who opposed what FDOT was proposing, even as the agency framed the changes as a safety upgrade.
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What FDOT is proposing
The plan targets several intersections along the corridor. Here is what FDOT has outlined:
- Fairfield Boulevard/Sawgrass Drive West — Re-routing of eastbound/westbound through and left-turn movements
- TPC Boulevard/Country Club Boulevard — Re-routing of eastbound/westbound through movements; northbound and southbound left turns will be offset at both intersections for improved visibility
- Sawgrass Village Drive/L’Atrium Drive — Re-routing of eastbound/westbound through movements
- Solana Road — Re-routing of northbound left-turn and westbound through movements
- Merchants Plaza to Professional Drive — Extension of the southbound auxiliary lane to improve merging from J.T. Butler Boulevard (State Road 202)
- Ponte Vedra Lakes Boulevard — Extension of the eastbound right-turn lane
‘They’re going to have more accidents there’
Not everyone is convinced the changes will help. Jeannie Sanchez, a longtime resident, said she believes the project will make things worse, not better.
“This is probably good for Morgan and Morgan and Farah and Farah. They’re going to have more accidents there,” Sanchez said. “We live in the community, and I feel like what they’re doing is going to cause more chaos. Too many people have died, and they’re not going to solve the issue.”
How to weigh in
Tuesday’s meeting included a presentation followed by public comment. If you missed the meeting, you can still submit comments to the public record through the FDOT website.