St. Lucie County is preparing to install stop signs on Indian River Drive at Walton Road to slow down traffic and reduce crashes on the winding road overlooking the Indian River Lagoon.
Flashing warning signs will be set up on Indian River Drive near Walton Road to alert drivers to the upcoming stop signs, said county Public Works Director Don West. “It will obviously slow the traffic down,” West told county commissioners on Oct. 8. “We think it’s worth trying.”
“The downside is you may get some backups during peak times, so you may get some complaints from people,” West added.
The stop signs would be installed on a test basis for a year, West said. If they reduce speeding and crashes on Indian River Drive near Walton Road, the county will install stop signs on the drive at Midway Road.
A meeting will be scheduled with Indian River Drive homeowners and motorists to discuss the proposed stop signs, commissioners decided.
An average of 5,800 vehicles per day travel on Indian River Drive south of Walton Road and 3,600 vehicles per day north of the east-west thoroughfare, state records show.
There is already a stop sign on Walton Road at Indian River Drive. An average of 5,600 vehicles per day travel on Walton Road near the drive.
It would cost $14,228 to install two solar-powered solar warning posts on Indian River Drive, West said. County workers can manufacture and install the stop signs.
Constructing traffic circles on Indian River Drive at the intersections of Walton and Midway roads could cost up to $500,000 each, West said.
Indian River Drive homeowners have long been concerned about reckless driving and illegal passing, said Diane Gregory, president of the Indian River Freeholders. She called the stop signs “appealing.”
“We’ve been working on this for three years,” Gregory told the commissioners. “We mapped every crash. We saw there are more crashes at the intersection.”
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