Lazaro Aleman
ECB Publishing, Inc.
City officials have marshaled their facts in a petition to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) that argues for the realignment of the intersection of U.S. 19 and the Waukeenah Highway, which they say poses a hazardous situation.
In the resolution that the Monticello City Council adopted on Tuesday, March 1, for submittal to the FDOT, the officials cite a multitude of reasons for why they think the intersection should be both reconfigured and better lighted.
First mentioned is the residential and commercial growth that the city is experiencing, which officials argue is increasing traffic into and out of the city core.
The increase in traffic, the resolution states, in turn is resulting in additional turning movements onto and off the federal highway networks. Especially at the subject three-road intersection, which sees the joining of U.S. 19 (also known as State Road 57), County Road 259 (also known as the Waukeenah Highway), and Nacoosa Road, which picks up on the east side of U.S. 19.
City officials say they have received numerous complaints from residents regarding driver confusion at the intersection, due to the angling of the intersecting roads and the non-intuitive and poorly marked lane designations.
The resolution further notes the lack of hash marks on the left turn lane of U.S. 19 to indicate the appropriate entry lane onto CR-259 for northbound traffic that wants to turn left onto the southwest bound Waukeenah Highway. Which absence of warning often causes motorists to miss the appropriate turn lane and have to make quick maneuvers to correct the misjudgment, according to the resolution.
“The sharp angling of CR-259 at the intersection further limits the ability to anticipate the road layout while turning off U.S. 19 northbound,” the resolution states.
The situation, moreover, is aggravated by the lack of night lighting and reflective markings, the resolution continues.
Meanwhile, northeast-bound traffic on CR-259 wanting to cross U.S. 19 to Nacoosa Road cannot see to the other side or clearly note the appropriate travel lanes of the narrow and poorly marked Nacoosa Road because the raised roadbed of the U.S. 19 corridor obstructs the view, the resolution states.
Additionally, northeast-bound traffic on CR-259 wanting to turn north onto U.S. 19 finds the intersection confusing upon approach because of its unusual configuration, officials say.
They note that the double lines end at a point where the single lane opens into a double lane.
“Intuitively,” states the resolution, “a driver may deduce that the two travel lanes indicate that the left-most lane is for turning left (north) onto U.S. 19, and the other lane to the right would be for continuing straight through the intersection to Nacoosa Road.”
The left-most lane, in fact, is for westbound traffic, and the right lane is for turning left or right onto U.S. 19.
The confusion, according to officials, is compounded by the fact that the raised roadbed of U.S. 19 with its shared median makes it more difficult to confirm visually the appropriate lanes or the right-of-way for drivers crossing straight from Nacoosa Road or turning left from U.S. 19.
Another hazard particularly associated with this approach for traffic turning north on U.S. 19 is the difficulty of assessing the speed of oncoming traffic from both north and south, according to the resolution.
As well as is the lack of visual distinctions to provide drivers with cues that could assist in cognition of gap distance judgments before crossing U.S. 19’s southbound corridor into the shared median, the resolution states.
The resolution cites statistics showing that 40 percent of crashes in the United States are intersection related. It further points out that the Jefferson County Traffic Safety Team, which is composed of both city and county officials, supports the need for improvement at the intersection.
The resolution asks the FDOT to apply the department’s complete street policies relating to intersection design and install warranted intersection lane and marking improvements at the intersection. Or to consider reconfiguring the intersection, installing the appropriate lighting and adding signage or other appropriate driver warning indicators.
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