PSJ Downtown Traffic Patterns to Change

Locals and visitors should prepare for new traffic patterns in downtown Port St. Joe.

As part of a project to beautify the U.S. 98 corridor through town, Second and Fourth streets, which between Williams Avenue and U.S. 98 are one-way heading toward the highway will be reversed.

They will soon align with Third Street, making all three roadways between First and State 71, or Fifth Street, one way going into the business district.

As Matt Fleck, executive director of the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Agency (PSJRA) noted, that change was part of the original workshop concerning the U.S. 98 project, which will begin right after Thanksgiving.

There was not sufficient room for two-way traffic, Fleck added, so the streets would simply be reversed to foster more traffic into downtown.

But as the beautification of U.S. 98 is a project funding the Florida Department of Transportation, the reversal of Second and Fourth streets, which will require re-striping in the short-term and some work on curbs in the long-term, must by nature of geography be a city project.

Exact dates for the changes were not released, but as the U.S. 98 project is poised to start it must happen soon to accommodate FDOT mandates on the highway project.

“Now would be a good time for notification, to notify the public,” Fleck suggested to commissioners.

As for the U.S. 98 project, Fleck said the FDOT had agreed to fund the design portion of the expanded scope of the project, taking the beautification to the bridge going to Highland View and the railroad tracks on State 71 near the city limits.

Fleck added the second phase of improvements to Williams Avenue, including some paving, striping and curb work, is moving forward.

Fleck also added that given the consensus that emerged from a joint city/county workshop of the prior work the PSJRA would be ready, the required paperwork finished, etc, to expand its boundaries into the neighborhood known as North Port St. Joe by the end of the year.

In other business during the regular meeting:

-           Commissioner Rex Buzzett asked that city manager Charlie Weston look into the logistics of moving the Tourist Development Council, Economic Development Council and Chamber of Commerce into the current TDC building, which also houses the PSJRA.

Buzzett noted that the building was a city building and the moves, which were the original intent when the building, a former restaurant, was moved from the peninsula. “It will save money for all.” Buzzett said.

-           Commissioner John Reeves asked Weston to send a letter to The St. Joe Company concerning the 2.3 acres pledged to the city for a new city hall and a proposed connector road between Williams Avenue and MLK Blvd.

Both were intended to part of a land swap completed within the past several years between the city and company. Both were intended be part of or cross land currently occupied by the St. Joe Building, the old A&N Railroad building.