U.S. 98 Improvement Work Begins this Week

Editors Note: Due to early deadlines because of the holiday, information pertaining to GAC's decision to delay actual construction work until Monday, July 6, was not able to be included in the below story.

By the time these words are read work should be underway to improve the intersection of U.S. 98, First Street and Marina Drive in Port St. Joe.

Work is scheduled to begin July 1 on adding turns lanes on First Street and Marina Drive, providing new updated traffic signals, sidewalks and drainage in the heavily congested area.

"The (Florida Department of Transportation) has approved the construction, it has all been permitted," said Matt Fleck, executive director of the Port St. Joe Redevelopment Agency, which is partnering with the city, county and Preble Rish, Inc. on the project.

"It is really a negative we are doing this at the wrong time," Fleck said, alluding to the Fourth of July weekend and summer tourist season. "The upside is the deadline to be paid."

The project must move ahead now, and be completed and contractor GAC Contractors paid in full by the end of August, due to the funding sources for the project.

Some $230,000 in road bond money, nearly all of it coming from the city with the county likely to make up any shortfall, will be used in the project and those funds must be expended by the end of August, Fleck said.

Even delaying the project a week, until after the Fourth, would have jeopardized the project's completion by August, Fleck said.

"It is simply road bond money," Fleck said concerning the awkward timing of the project. "It has to be spent by August."

The project will most importantly create a new left turn lane, with traffic signal arrows, on Marina Drive to alleviate the congestion that can occur during peak hours of the day.

"Just the back up on Marina Drive of folks (turning left and) going north, nobody can get around them and it gets congested, that warrants the turn lane," Fleck said.

Meanwhile, across U.S. 98 on First Street, a left turn lane will be installed - with the requisite traffic arrows - which will, with the expansion of the roadway, eliminate the old storm drain along the right side of the road which has long been an impediment to traffic.

"We are maxing out the right-of-way" on both sides of the highway, Fleck said in noting that no land will be taken from either Auto Zone or Subway, the two businesses most impacted at the intersection.

"And when the project is completed, everybody will have a turn lane at that intersection."

GAC has committed to reducing the impacts on traffic, but there will be lane closures, flag men and barricades around the intersection, Fleck said.

Tourists and locals should be prepared.

The extent of any actual closure of roads will come when crews must install a pipe underneath and across the width of Marina Drive. That will necessitate a road closure on Marina Drive of five to seven days.

 "But the reality is there will be congestion during the project," Fleck said.

The intersection work is just the initial step in a $1.1 million project to improve the aesthetics of U.S. 98 between First and Fifth Streets, a mission the PSJRA has long pursued.

After the intersection work is completed, new sidewalks will be installed along that section of U.S. 98, along with new curbing, lighting, landscaping and the like.

The PSJRA received some $340,000 in federal stimulus funds and is putting in another $300,000 in the tax increment funds that support the agency.

The city is adding the $230,000 in road bond dollars, the county will assist with some additional funding and the city/PSJRA has received two grants totaling $275,000 from the FDOT to assist in the project to improve U.S. 98 through the heart of Port St. Joe.

Next year the hope is that the FDOT will add new striping to the roadway.