FDOT passes halfway mark on major road improvements project
Overview of the State Route 13 resurfacing project which will not be completed until Spring 2019.
While motorists tap the brakes as often as they impatiently tap their thumbs on the steering wheel while travelling State Road 13 (Hendricks Avenue/San Jose Boulevard) in stop-and-go traffic, the good news is the year-long project has passed the halfway mark.
In the meantime, traffic is often restricted to one lane in each direction.
“The contractor is currently completing paving operations throughout the length of the project, which requires intermittent daytime lane closures,” said Sara Pleasants, public information officer for the Florida Department of Transportation. “The project team is monitoring traffic near major intersections and adjusting lane closures accordingly, and lanes are being reopened as work is completed. Generally, lane closures will not occur during rush hour/times of typically heavy traffic.”
Daytime lane closures are not permitted during northbound morning and southbound afternoon rush hours or near a signalized intersection or at the Hendricks Avenue Elementary School zone.
Phase 2 of the eight-phase project is the longest, encompassing 120 to 150 days of median improvements. The first phase, which began in January, widened a portion of San Jose Boulevard between Dunsford and River Oaks Roads to allow on-street parking to remain. Now road crews are improving existing medians or adding new ones in the three-mile stretch from Cornell Road north to San Marco Boulevard.
In addition to removing and replacing the top layer of asphalt during Phase 2, the project will include pedestrian, bicyclist and traffic safety improvements along the route. Traffic safety upgrades included driveway improvements at Arcadia Drive during Phase 3, sight-distance improvements at San Jose Boulevard South in Phase 4, and intersection improvements at Emerson Road in Phase 5 – which were concurrent with Phase 1.
For pedestrians, crosswalks at several intersections will be restriped and enhanced and countdown pedestrian signals will be installed at Greenridge Road, Emerson Street, Ridgeland Road, Dunsford Road and River Oaks Road during Phase 6. Crosswalks and pedestrian signals will also be updated at the Hendricks Avenue Elementary School crossing, and a pedestrian island will be constructed in the school zone.
The shoulders along the corridor on both sides of the road will be striped for bicycle lanes, connecting existing bicycle lanes south of Cornell Road to existing bicycle lanes on Hendricks Avenue that begin at the intersection of San Marco Boulevard. In order to provide a marked bicycle lane throughout the project limits, on-street parking was removed from Cornell Road to Peachtree Circle North and from Dunsford Road to San Marco Boulevard. Between Peachtree Circle North and Dunsford Road, the roadway was widened by narrowing the median allowing for on-street parking to remain.
FDOT expected paving operations to be complete by mid-August, then the roadway will be striped in its final configuration, including restoration of on-street parking from Peachtree Circle North to Dunsford Road. After paving is complete, the contractor will move on to signal work, said Pleasants.
After milling and resurfacing during Phases 7 and 8, some of which is occurring concurrently with Phase 2, the $5.4 million project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, barring any weather delays or unforeseen circumstances.
By Kate A. Hallock
Resident Community News
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