FELLSMERE — Drivers who travel Orange Street will eventually find themselves traveling in one direction, as they once did years ago.
The Fellsmere City Council has plans to turn the road into a one-way drive around the Old Fellsmere School/City Hall as part of the city’s master plan for the area.
City Manager Jason Nunemaker brought the issue up to the council Thursday evening, seeking direction on whether to begin work now on making the switch over or hold off.
“We don’t have to do it next week,” Nunemaker said.
However, council members seemed to agree that the more time they gave drivers notice of the switch, the more likely it would be that drivers would be prepared when the change does happen.
“There’s always going to be people like me that don’t pay attention,” Councilwoman Sara Savage said.
The city is preparing to make some roadway improvements to Orange Street by placing millings from another road project over Orange.
“It’s a substitute for the paving,” Nunemaker said of laying the millings on Orange.
Millings are pieces of recycled asphalt that has been crushed and mixed with an aggregate substance and binder. The substance is then laid over the road base. Though not as strong as an asphalt road, it holds up better than gravel.
“It’s better than nothing,” Nunemaker said, explaining that the improved road would stand up better to the rain.
The city is expected to order signs notifying drivers of the impending changes and install them once they arrive.
The shift to one-way traffic is expected to happen sometime after the first of the year.
