ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – A new group in St. Johns County is focused on enhancing road conditions and traffic flow. The initiative involves weekly assessments of local roads to identify necessary improvements.
Living in St. Johns County, residents are likely familiar with the areas prone to traffic congestion.
“Common call, right?” said Dick D’Souza, Assistant Director of Growth Management. “We keep our priorities here in St. Johns County of what we want to go after, what we want to do to improve our traffic network.”
D’Souza is part of the Transportation Planning Subcommittee, a collaboration of county officials with a unified goal: to anticipate future traffic patterns and address them proactively.
“What we’re trying to do is kind of get ahead of the game of where this traffic is anticipated to come,” D’Souza explained.
The subcommittee utilizes a straightforward grading scale, from A to F, to evaluate road conditions.
“A is where you’re just not seeing other cars on the road; you’re able to drive at a comfortable speed without worrying about other vehicles,” D’Souza said. “F means your experience is that there are cars all around you, and you need to be much more mindful.”
Importantly, D’Souza clarified that this grading scale is not about passing or failing.
“To be clear, an A is not a passing grade, and an F is not a failing grade,” he said. “It’s simply a reflection of how busy the road is. The goal is to elevate the busier roads to at least a D rating.”
Currently, several roads, including International Golf Parkway, Holmes Boulevard, Four Mile Road, Old Moultrie Road, Kings Estate Road, State Road 210, and Palm Valley Road from Roscoe to Mickler Road, are rated as F.
To assist residents in understanding road conditions, all evaluated roads are listed on the county’s website.
“We presented that map that showed where these critical road segments were in the county, and it just happened to match up with where we have capital improvement projects today,” D’Souza said.
For roads facing significant issues, the subcommittee will seek funding to implement improvements or additional measures to alleviate traffic congestion.
D’Souza elaborated on the subcommittee’s formation, stating, “It started as an infrastructure delivery team, an administrative initiative to bring together key staff to deliver projects faster and hopefully at a lower cost. It has now split into a transportation planning subcommittee and a capital improvement project subcommittee.”
The transportation side focuses on planning for future roadway needs, identifying funding sources, and ensuring that the roads prioritized for improvement align with the county’s growth.
“Everybody has an opinion on roads and their conditions,” D’Souza said. “Some areas are just more congested than others. We’re trying to match our analysis with actual traffic counts performed annually.”
The subcommittee’s grading system is based on a quantitative stratification of traffic levels.
You can read the subcommittees first presentation to the county commission here.
“Level of service is a quantitative stratification,” D’Souza explained. “We assign a letter grade based on the number of cars on the road and the driver’s experience.”
He emphasized that an F rating does not indicate failure but rather a busy road.
“It’s about planning for the future,” D’Souza said. “Do you want your roads to be busy all the time, or do you want some room for growth and to improve driver experience?”
Currently, D’Souza noted that several roads are at or above capacity, including County Road 210 and International Golf Parkway.
“When we reach a certain threshold, we should already be looking to have projects planned,” he said. “We want to get ahead of it.”
The subcommittee aims to balance fiscal responsibility with effective traffic management.
“Each situation is unique,” D’Souza said, referencing ongoing projects like the widening of the intersection at International Golf Parkway and State Road 16. “We’re looking to increase the number of vehicles that can pass through at any given time.”
Innovative designs, such as roundabouts and signalized U-turns, are also being considered to improve traffic flow.
“Traffic lights aren’t a panacea,” D’Souza cautioned. “They need to meet certain criteria to be eligible, and we’re exploring new methods to enhance intersection efficiency.”
In summary, the Transportation Planning Subcommittee is committed to improving road conditions in St. Johns County by proactively addressing traffic issues and implementing strategic improvements.
