The $33 million widening of Port St. Lucie Boulevard south of Darwin Boulevard is so important the City Council decided to tap reserves to jump-start the $8.5 million first phase in 2022.
The council also decided to scrap an outdated four-lane roadway design and pay $700,000 for a modern design with a 10-foot-wide sidewalk and bicycle path.
The City Council voted unanimously on June 17 to approve the new design plans and funding proposal for the first .7-mile section of the Port St. Lucie Boulevard South project.
An average of 16,000 vehicles per day travel on Port St. Lucie Boulevard between Darwin Boulevard and Becker Road, which connects with Interstate 95 and Florida’s Turnpike.
“We need to move forward with this 100 percent and get it done faster because that’s what our residents expect,” said Vice Mayor Shannon Martin. “We’re redesigning it because we know this is a better way based on DOT (Department of Transportation) standards.”
The city agreed to loan $8.5 million to Florida Department of Transportation in July 2021 so construction can start between Darwin and Alcantarra boulevards in July 2022, instead of 2023.
FDOT will reimburse the city in July 2023, city records show. Fronting the money for the project will cost the city about $452,400 in lost interest. The city would pay the entire cost of redesigning the roadway with no reimbursement, City Manager Russ Blackburn told the council.
The city’s total cost for the changes will amount to $1,152,000, city records show.
The new roadway design will feature a 10-foot-wide sidewalk and bicycle path separated from the four-lane thoroughfare by a 5-foot-wide grassy area. That meets FDOT’s latest standards.
The outdated design had a 4-foot-wide bicycle lane on the main roadway and an 8-foot sidewalk next to the curb, city records show.
“The typical section that FDOT uses has evolved since 2014,” Blackburn said. “It now includes a much greater chance of a multi-purpose path for bicyclists separated from the road.”
FDOT approved the now-outdated design for the Port St. Lucie Boulevard South project before instituting the new standards, explained Mayor Greg Oravec. But the council wants the long-awaited project to meet the new and improved standards.
“It got grandfathered in,” Oravec said. “The big reason why we’ve made this push is because the design we currently have is no longer acceptable pursuant to FDOT’s own regulations.”
The new design can also be used for the widening of the 2.2-mile stretch of Port St. Lucie Boulevard between Alcantarra Boulevard and Becker Road, said Clyde Cuffy, the city’ project manager.
But the council still must find $24.4 million to pay for construction, city records show.