City of Port St. Lucie - Engineering Study Projects

Purpose and Need for the Project

In 2004, the City of Port St. Lucie was the fastest growing city in the nation. In 2005, the City remained in the top five nationally in terms of growth. Originally promoted as a quiet retirement community, the City has experienced substantial growth from the early 90s to today. While growth has slowed because of the 2008/2009 economic recession, overall, a trend of increased growth is projected to continue for the next two decades. For example, as a result of the Western Annexation Area, over 14,000 acres west of I-95 is expected to be developed over the next 20 years. As a result of the existing population growth, the City’s transportation infrastructure crossing the NFSLR is at, or has already exceeded, its capacity. Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard are major east-west corridors within the City. These two transportation corridors provide the only means within the City by which to cross the NFSLR. The Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard bridges provide a vital link between the populated residential part of the City west of the river and the primarily commercial, regional corridor of U.S. 1 on the east side of the river.

The need for the proposed project results from the inability of the existing bridges to meet the daily heavy travel demand between the residential and commercial communities west and east of the NFSLR. Also, major sections of the existing Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard corridors, including the intersections at the approaches to the existing bridges, currently operate below level of service (LOS) standards during the AM and PM peak traffic hours. This creates significant traffic congestion across the two river crossings, threatening the safety and long-term viability of these corridors. This demand is projected to increase, and the current congested conditions will worsen. Analyses conclude that this high degree of traffic congestion cannot be alleviated by localized intersection improvements. The purpose of this project, therefore, is to relieve the existing corridors of their highly congested conditions and provide additional east-west capacity to address the substantial growth in the area. The need for the proposed project has long been recognized by the City, St. Lucie County, and State authorities as evidenced by the project’s inclusion in the following documents:

The City of Port St. Lucie Comprehensive Plan;
The St. Lucie County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s (MPO) 2025 Long Range Transportation Plan;
The 2030 Regional Long Range Transportation Plan (RLRTP), Martin and St. Lucie Counties Metropolitan Planning Organizations, amended June 2007;
The 2002 Martin and St. Lucie Counties Regional Land Use Study;
The 2004 Urban Land Institute - Port St. Lucie, Florida Panel Report; and
The Florida Department of Transportation Work Program - Fiscal Year 2005-2010.

To address this need, a new six lane divided highway is proposed from the existing Crosstown Parkway to U.S. 1.

Area Needs

System Linkage: The proposed crossing would connect Crosstown Parkway to U.S. 1, resulting in improved traffic patterns, relief to parallel roadway sections along Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard, and significantly increase the capacity of the corridors crossing the NFSLR. This provides the east-west mobility needed for economic growth, improved emergency response, and improved hurricane evacuation.

The Crosstown Parkway extension is also needed to provide an efficient transportation link between the approved developments west of I-95 and the remainder of the City, especially the employment areas along U.S. 1. The 2030 RLRTP population forecast for St. Lucie County is over 610,000 which exceeds the Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR) forecast of 450,000. The higher rate of growth takes into consideration the Western Annexation Area in the City of Port St. Lucie. Over the next 20 years, the Western Annexation Area will add 30,000 homes and over 18,000,000 square feet of employment space.

Transportation Demand: Operational analyses indicate that segments of Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard, between Bayshore Boulevard and U.S. 1, currently operate below acceptable LOS during the AM and PM peak hours. Furthermore, the combined traffic volume at the existing two bridges over the NFSLR already exceeds capacity. If no improvement is provided, the crossings will continue to degrade as the City’s growth continues. Transportation demand forecasts obtained from the design traffic analysis for the proposed project indicate that the traffic volume crossing the NFSLR is projected to increase from about 104,700 vehicles in 2008 to about 156,000 in 2037, an increase of over 48 percent.

Modal Interrelationships: The proposed Crosstown Parkway extension would provide enhanced opportunities to improve modal interrelationships throughout the City of Port St. Lucie and St. Lucie County. The 2030 RLRTP included the initiation of the Port St. Lucie City Center trolley service and establishment of a multimodal transportation hub in Port St. Lucie on U.S. 1. The corridor’s right-of-way can accommodate bus bays that can be strategically located to serve the residential areas while minimizing their operational impacts by placing them outside intersection influence areas. Further, the corridor would provide a direct and highly efficient link between I-95 and U.S. 1 for freight trucks and future express bus service.

Project Corridor Needs

Capacity: The Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard bridges 2008 Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) are 66,330 and 38,350, respectively, which exceeds their capacity. The capacity deficiencies are primarily a result of the City’s population growth. For example, the City’s population grew from 100,000 in 2003 to 125,000 in 2005, an increase of 25 percent. In 2008, the City’s population totaled 167,000, an increase of 33.6 percent between 2005 and 2008. The Crosstown Parkway extension is, therefore, essential to providing the needed capacity to accommodate the existing and future travel demand forecasts projected to cross the NFSLR.

An additional benefit resulting from the extension of the Crosstown Parkway is that it would provide a continuous, third east-west corridor from west of I-95 to U.S. 1 that would relieve traffic congestion on the parallel corridors of Port St. Lucie and Prima Vista Boulevards. Operational analyses indicate that travel speed on Crosstown Parkway will be, on average, 20 percent higher than the average speed on Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard because of fewer signalized intersections, improved access control, signal coordination, and the lack of commercial driveway friction along the corridor. This results in a shorter travel time between U.S. 1 and I-95 and a greater diversion of traffic from the two parallel corridors. Cross street turning movement volumes would also be diverted from Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard onto the Crosstown Parkway where the intersections have been designed with dual left turn lanes, exclusive right turn lanes and adequate storage bays to more efficiently handle high turning volumes. The proposed project would not only improve east-west mobility but also north-south connectivity by better accommodating the cross street turning vehicles.

Safety: The proposed project would improve safety by reducing traffic congestion on the parallel corridors and improving traffic circulation throughout the roadway system serving the City. The existing Crosstown Parkway corridor is designed with wide medians and shoulders, limited number of signalized intersections, and lack of commercial or residential driveways to minimize friction between cars and trucks by reducing the frequency of stops and related acceleration and deceleration maneuvers. Maintaining similar operating speeds between cars and heavy vehicles would improve traffic flow, increase the corridor capacity, enhance safety, and reduce pollution. Heavy vehicles diverted from Port St. Lucie Boulevard and Prima Vista Boulevard would in turn reduce traffic friction and improve the safety on these two parallel corridors.

Project Study Area

The Project Study Area is bordered on the north by Fallon Drive, the south by Thornhill Drive, the west by Manth Lane, and on the east by U.S. 1 (also known as S.R.5).

Click here for a printable version of the Project Study Area Map.

Project Schedule

Future Phases

Anticipated Completion of Design - 2013
Anticipated Completion of Right-Of-Way - 2014
Anticipated Completion of Construction - 2017

To enlarge the Project Schedule, click anywhere on this image.

For a printable version of the Project Schedule, click here.

Project Team

To enlarge the Project Team Organizational Chart, click anywhere on this image.

For a printable version of the Project Team Organizational Chart, click here.

Objectives of the Crosstown Parkway Extension PD&E Study and EIS

Evaluate the need for extending the Crosstown Parkway over the North Fork of the St. Lucie River (NFSLR) as an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), in accordance with NEPA;
Evaluate all feasible alternative corridor alignments for the River crossing, including the No Build Alternative;
Analyze the potential impacts resulting from the proposed river crossing;
Identify ways to avoid and minimize those impacts;
Coordinate closely with resource and regulatory agencies throughout the study process; and
Select and secure approval of a recommended alternative.

Project Status

The Project is well underway with a number of milestones already accomplished. As a high-profile EIS, the City coordinates on a regular basis with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Federal Highway Admination(FHWA) and all of the resource and regulatory agencies, to assure that the project moves foward consistant with the requirements of NEPA. A number of project reports are currently being developed in accordance with State and federal requirements. The reports currently underway can be found here. Also at this stage of the Project, the corridor alternatives are being developed further and with more detail.

Build Alternatives / No Build Alternative

Alternative 2A
Connects Crosstown Parkway via Walters Terrace west of the NFSLR to Midport Road east of the NFSLR, and ultimately connects with U.S. 1 at the intersection of Walton Road

Alternative 2D
Extends Crosstown Parkway along West Virginia Drive to Floresta Drive, then connects to Walters Terrace via Floresta Drive. Traffic would be required to make right and left turn movements at the two intersections along Floresta Drive to make the connection to U.S. 1

Alternative 1C
Connects Crosstown Parkway along West Virginia Drive west of the NFSLR to the existing intersection of U.S. 1 and Village Green Drive

Alternative 1F
Extends Crosstown Parkway along West Virginia Drive, then curves northeast between the river banks, and connects with U.S. 1 at a new intersection between Village Green Drive and Savanna Club Boulevard

Alternative 6B
Similar to 1F, this alternative extends Crosstown Parkway along West Virginia Drive to Floresta Drive. However, it curves northeast beginning at Floresta Drive, and crosses the NFSLR north of Alternative 1F. It connects with U.S. 1 at a new intersection between Village Green Drive and Savanna Club Boulevard

Alternative 6A
Extends Crosstown Parkway along West Virginia Drive to Floresta Drive. From there it curves north and then east across the NFSLR to the existing intersection of U.S. 1 and Savanna Club Boulevard

No Build Alternative

In the evaluation and screening of various alternatives for meeting the purpose and need for a project, the No Build Alternative, sometimes referred to as the No Project Alternative, must be equally evaluated in the study process.

The No Build Alternative is generally a “do nothing” option that involves minimal or no construction. A No Build Alternative may sometimes include Transportation System Management Alternatives, which may provide improvements such as:

adding turn lanes;
improving intersections and signalization;
improving signage and pavement markings; or
other techniques that require minimal or no construction.

The No Build Alternative is a viable alternative throughout the project development process.

Proposed Bridge Typical Section

This graphic depicts a cross section view, at street level, of the proposed bridge.

To enlarge the Proposed Bridge Typical Section, click anywhere on this image.

For a printable version of the Proposed Bridge Typical Section, click here.

Environmental Issues Addressed in the Study

Wetlands;
Wildlife and Habitat;
Contamination;
Noise;
Air Quality;
Parks, Recreation and Section 4(f) Lands;
Special Designations (Conservation Lands);
Historic and Archaeological Sites;
Aquatic Preserves and Outstanding Florida Waters;
Wild and Scenic Rivers;
Floodplains;
Coastal Zone Consistency;
Coastal Barrier Resources;
Visual Quality/Aesthetics;
Community and Neighborhood Impacts;
Relocation of Residences and Businesses;
Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities; and
Construction Methods/Impacts.

Additional Maps

To enlarge any of the Additional Maps, click on each specific image.

For a printable version of all the Additional Maps, click here.

Other Related Issues

In addition to, and concurrently with, the ongoing PD&E study and EIS, The City is pursuing a conceptual permit from the South Florida Water Management District for the River crossing. While not part of the PD&E study or EIS, this effort will aid the Team in identifying early on, what permit requirements will be necessary to allow a crossing of the State owned lands.