County Stimulus List update

Six roadway projects in St. Johns County totaling $7,469,449 were recommended for funding on the list submitted by FDOT to the Florida Legislative Budget Commission for review and approval according to a report received by Historic City News this morning.

Action by the Budget Commission is expected no sooner than April 15, 2009. The list will then be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for review and approval. These projects were selected from the County’s longer list because they meet the established requirements and can meet the stringent “use it or lose it” time provisions.

I-95 at State Road 207 – Ramp Improvements – $2,211,539: Design is complete for the addition of storage and turn lanes to the off ramps at this interchange. No right-of-way is required. St. Johns County anticipated constructing this improvement at some future date under the provisions of a Development Agreement. The Developer will not be relieved of responsibility for mitigating transportation impacts, but will apply the required private resources to another project.

County Road 214 (West King Street) – Resurface – $2,169,200: Resurface West King Street and County Road 214 from County Road 13A east to Elkton Lane. This project will replace the asphalt surface of the roadway in order to improve its appearance and ride quality while extend its service life. The project does not accomplish or replace the long-term plan to redesign and reconstruct West King Street from Elkton Lane through the Holmes Boulevard intersection; it simply improves quality of the road until that more extensive project can be accomplished. County Road 13A is the western limit of the area included in the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (NFTPO) area, and the project is funded from that portion of the ARRA prioritized by the NFTPO.

County Road 214 from County Road 13 to County Road 13A – Resurface and add paved shoulders – $765,900: County Road 214 west of County Road 13A is not within the area covered by the NFTPO, and is therefore eligible for ARRA funds prioritized directly by the FDOT. Because there are no long-term plans to reconstruct this rural roadway, paved shoulders were included to improve safety.

County Road 214 from County Road 13 to County Road 13A – Pipe Replacement and Box Culvert Extensions – $198,371: County Road 214 in this area was constructed several decades ago and the drainage system associated with the road has deteriorated over time. In order for the resurfaced road to offer an acceptable service life, its drainage system will need to be repaired in advance of resurfacing.

County Road 210 and Racetrack Road – Signal System Upgrade – $1,266,996: The traffic signals on these two Major Collector roads utilize hardware and software standardized over 15 years ago. The performance of this hardware and software is no longer adequate for the demands of the current day traffic conditions, does not meet current industry standards and, in addition, replacement parts are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. During Fiscal Year 2008 St. Johns County conducted a study of each signalized intersection on these two roads between State Road 13 and US 1. This study required specification of a new hardware and software that is compatible with the Intelligent Highway System architecture used by the FDOT throughout the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. The specifications are in hand and ready to bid for provision and installation of the equipment, software, communication network and upgrades to the St. Johns County Traffic Management Center.

Sidewalks – Various Locations – $857,443 total: The following sidewalk projects are considered “enhancement projects”, and as such are funded separately from roadway improvement, capacity and safety projects:

Del Monte / Varella Sidewalk – $375,443 – Sidewalk on Del Monte Drive from Collins Avenue to Varella Avenue and on Varella Avenue from Del Monte Drive to Lewis Speedway, a total of 3.5 miles. Plans and permits are complete. This project was prioritized by the St. Johns County Community Traffic Safety Team and the St. Johns County School Board to improve safety for the many students attending St. Augustine High and Sebastian Middle schools.

Durbin Creek Boulevard Sidewalk, Phase I – $200,000 – Sidewalk on the south side of Durbin Creek Boulevard, a County Collector roadway, from Flora Branch Boulevard to the Julington Creek Plantation Amenity Center, a distance of 2,600 feet. This is a public/public partnership with plans completed at the expense of the Community Development District ready for construction.

Durbin Creek Boulevard Sidewalk, Phase II – $282,000 – Sidewalk on the east side of Durbin Creek Boulevard, a County Collector roadway, from Racetrack Road to the Julington Creek Plantation Amenity Center, a distance of 3,400 feet. This is a public/public partnership with plans completed at the expense of the Community Development District ready for construction.

In addition to the above roadway projects, St. Johns County previously learned a Public Transit Facility for the Sunshine Bus Company was awarded $948,514 in a different category of ARRA stimulus funds. Those stimulus dollars, combined with Fiscal Year 2009 federal appropriations of $1.47 million secured by Congressman John L. Mica and ongoing federal grants will allow a much-needed public transit facility to be built in its entirety. The new Old Moultrie Road transit facility is in the initial phases of engineering, designing and permitting, with construction expected to begin by the fall of this year.