CITIZEN’S TRAFFIC TASK BOARD FORCE COMMENTS ON PONTE VEDRA BEACH TRAFFIC STUDY
For Immediate Release—May 9, 2017
The Citizens Traffic Task Force Board (CTTF) met on May 1, to discuss next steps following the recent Public Hearing and presentation of the Ponte Vedra Beaches Traffic Study at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall on April 25. During the Board Meeting, the group unanimously agreed to publicly thank St. Johns County officials, the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO), and their traffic consultants HNTB, for providing the community with a thoughtful view of current and future traffic conditions and for making recommendations for intersection and roadway improvements that the community should consider.
The CTTF Board also wishes to thank the citizens of Ponte Vedra Beach, Palm Valley and the surrounding area who attended the standing room only event at the Concert Hall for receiving the results of the study and sharing their comments and concerns in a most positive and constructive manner.
Considering next steps, the Board re-emphasized the importance of providing a fact-based understanding of traffic conditions and the need to develop an effective means of collecting input about roadway improvement options from the majority of the residents and businesses in Ponte Vedra Beach. During the coming weeks, the Board will develop a consistent approach to surveying our citizens and ultimately to define the path to achieving our community goals.
The Ponte Vedra Beach Traffic Study analyzed roadway conditions in the entire area from JTB in the North, to Mickler Road in the South, and from the A1A in the East to the Intracoastal Waterway in the West. The study recommends short term improvements (over the next 5 years) and long term improvements (projected out to 2040) to intersections, roads and sidewalks that could ease the traffic congestion we are experiencing today. As has been widely reported, St. Johns County is one of the most rapidly growing counties in Florida and the nation. In addition, changing demographics and driving patterns within the entire Northeast St. Johns County area appear to be a contributing factor to the traffic congestion on our roadways.
Now that the NFTPO and its’ consultants have completed the study, they will incorporate public comments received at the hearing, in writing, or via their website into a final report to be presented to the St. Johns County Board of County Commissioners. As stated during the Public Hearing, no decisions about changes to our roadways will be made without significant input from the entire Ponte Vedra Beach community. As this process develops, information will be shared through email releases, newspaper articles, and Homeowner Association (HOA), Community Associations and Public Meetings. To help the community stay informed, the CTTF Board has established an email address at [email protected]. If you would like to receive information regarding Ponte Vedra traffic issues, planning activities, public meetings etc., please email the address noted and ask to be added to the email list. If you have HOA or Community Association Meetings, a member of the CTTF Board would be glad to speak when requested.
The CTTF Board consists of representatives from the Ponte Vedra Beaches Coalition, the Ponte Vedra Community Association, the Palm Valley Community Association, the Ponte Vedra Municipal Service District, the North Ponte Vedra Beach Coalition, and representatives from the Sawgrass, Marsh Landing, Plantation and Sawgrass Player’s Club Homeowner’s Associations. For a listing of the representative members, click here: CTTF Board
