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FDOT updates Martin MPO on SR 710; signal warrant at Allapattah due in June after board raises safety concerns
Summary
FDOT said the SR 710 widening remains the MPO’s top unfunded priority; a signal-warrant analysis at Allapattah is expected in June. Commissioners raised a recent school-bus near-miss and discussed longer-term alignment options at Allapattah and Martin Luther King Road.
Tony Nora, planning supervisor for FDOT District 4, told the Martin County MPO on May 12, 2025, that advances on State Road 710 remain limited: the widening from Okeechobee to Allapattah remains the MPO’s top unfunded priority and FDOT is continuing to look for eligible funding. Nora said a signal-warrant analysis for the intersection of SR 710 and Allapattah/County Road 609 is ongoing and expected to be finalized in June.
Commissioner Stacy Hetherington reported a school-bus incident on SR 710 that morning in which a box truck struck the bus; the commissioner said the bus had its stop arms and lights deployed and that, “fortunately, there were no serious injuries.” Hetherington asked that staff document the incident and notify FDOT because it illustrated an ongoing hazard at that corridor.
Mayor Carmine DePaolo and other board members urged consideration of a longer-term solution: aligning Allapattah Road with Martin Luther King Road to create a four-way intersection to reduce circuitous turning movements and improve safety. Nora and county staff said such a realignment would be a longer-term, county-level planning and development action and could require right-of-way and coordination with developers; by contrast, a warranted traffic signal could be installed on a shorter schedule if the warrant study supports it.
When asked whether the signal warrant would be sufficient to expedite a short-term safety fix, FDOT staff said results would guide next steps; the FDOT project manager and MPO staff said they understand the urgency and are attempting to move the analysis and any subsequent design as quickly as practicable.
Discussion vs. decision: FDOT provided an informational update; the MPO did not approve construction or re-alignment at the meeting. Commissioners asked staff to document the bus crash and to continue pressing FDOT for timely action on the signal warrant.
