ST. CLOUD, Fla. — A traffic study along 5th Street in St. Cloud could alter the way a section of the neighborhood looks in the future.
The city said it conducted a traffic stop to evaluate existing traffic on 5th Street and to look for improvements after city council members asked staff to explore ways to improve traffic safety concerns in the grid.
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“The city hasn’t communicated with us. I had no idea what this is about until this young lady just told me,” said Richard Ortiz, Homeowner.
Ortiz said he found out after driving past an electronic road sign on Lake Shore.
The study went from 5th and Brown Chapel to Mississippi Avenue.
Homeowners said speeding does occur from time to time. However, most of it happens near 10th Street.
Some homeowners fear the proposed projects will take away their city easements and some of their driveways and potentially push the road to the property line of their homes on an already narrow road.
“I don’t think it does anything that promotes smoother traffic transitions because there is no traffic on 5th Street,” said Tugce Figeac, homeowner.
The city said it will work in two phases. Phase one will put in 4-way stops at the intersections with Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio, keep the existing 4-way stops at Brown Chapel and Columbia, and convert the existing 2-way stops at Florida and Dakota to 4-way stops.
Phase two would add mini roundabouts in the intersections of Georgia, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio, with no time frame for the start of the project.
“I don’t think it does anything that promotes smoother traffic transitions because there is no traffic on 5th Street.
The city said all other 5th Street intersections would become north-south 2-way stops (meaning state street traffic would stop.)
The city said it will hold a public workshop on February 19th from 5-7 pm at City Hall.
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