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Planned State Road 20 intersection closure and detour draws safety concerns from residents
Summary
Engineers presented a proposal to temporarily close an intersection on State Road 20 for reconstruction; residents and commissioners raised traffic- and child-safety concerns about routing trucks onto South 13th Street for a roughly 50-day construction period.
Palatka staff and the project engineer outlined a plan to close the intersection of State Road 20 with the local cross street for reconstruction. The project would reroute traffic for the construction period, and staff estimated construction would take about 50 days including weather days.
Justin Garland, project engineer (introduced in the meeting), described the work and said the plan would close the intersection and use a detour routing that shifts traffic onto South 13th Street and adjacent local streets while work is underway. Garland said the decision to close the intersection followed review of traffic safety and lane width constraints: "We originally looked at keeping traffic on State Road 20, keeping two lanes open while we do that. It didn't work because we have to get down to two ten-foot lanes and with the structure there we have some concerns about safety issues," he told commissioners.
Multiple commissioners and residents raised safety concerns about routing detoured trucks through a residential corridor where children walk and where school traffic is frequent. One resident said trucks would be rerouted into neighborhoods and worried that GPS routing and carriers could send large trucks down residential streets that were not designed for heavy commercial traffic.
Commissioners asked whether shorter detour options, additional signage, or increased enforcement could help. Garland said engineers would revisit detour routing and that staff could add message boards and signage and coordinate with law enforcement on enforcement during the work. He also said staff could pursue alternatives and said they would “go back to the drawing board” to explore whether routing could be adjusted.
No formal action was taken; the item was presented as a project update and a public information session. Commissioners asked staff to return with alternatives and with messaging and enforcement plans to reduce the risk to pedestrians and schoolchildren during the detour period.
Project timeline and impacts summarized by staff: - Construction estimated at roughly 50 days, including weather days. - Proposed detour would route traffic onto South 13th Street and Bar Street; staff said signage and enforcement would be used to discourage through-trucks from cutting through residential blocks. - Staff noted constraints on keeping two 10-foot lanes open during work and said temporary lane configuration would present safety risks if attempted.
Commissioners requested further study of detour routing, traffic-control options, and coordination with law enforcement and schools before finalizing the closure plan.
