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Consultants propose short-term fixes and long-term options for Sea Pines Circle and major corridors
Summary
Consultants presented data and alternatives for multiple corridor segments. For Sea Pines Circle they recommended short-term measures (speed tables, pavement markings, pulse timing) to curb cue-jumping at bypass lanes and proposed several long-term geometric alternatives to improve safety and operations.
Consultants from MKSK, Toole Design and Kimberly Horn presented a multi-segment corridors plan that ranged from spot safety fixes to large-scale redesign options for high-demand intersections.
Nut graf: The workshop framed a two-track approach: implement relatively inexpensive, reversible short-term measures to improve safety and operations (pavement markings, speed tables, signal timing pulses, metering strategies) while modeling and evaluating longer-term geometric changes — including modern roundabout redesigns, selective grade separation for key movements, and access-management strategies — that may require larger capital investment and stakeholder coordination.
Brian Kinzelman (MKSK) and Jonathan Guy (Kimberly Horn) walked council through problem areas. For Sea Pines Circle Jonathan summarized the problem as approach geometry and driver behavior: heavy right-turn bypass volumes and drivers attempting to 'cue jump' using bypass lanes contribute to approach congestion and crash clusters. "We did watch a lot of drivers attempting to cue jump, by using the right turn lane," he said.
Short-term recommendations included enhanced pavement markings and signage, targeted metering/pulsing of feeder signals (to create artificial gaps for heavy movements), and the use of raised speed tables on selective approaches to slow and 'pulse' traffic. Jonathan said those measures are relatively low-cost and reversible and can be tested quickly to measure effects before committing to major reconstruction.
Longer-term alternatives shown to council ranged from conservative geometric and lane changes to a modernized multi-lane roundabout with better spirals and delineations, to more complex separated-movement designs. Consultants said some long-term variants could be built without impacting existing traffic by constructing the new geometry adjacent to the existing circle and switching operations once complete.
Council members generally supported testing short-term measures first and asked staff to return with traffic counts, modeling results and cost estimates for proposed short-term experiments (e.g., speed tables and signal timing trials) before pursuing larger capital projects. Several council members emphasized protecting the island’s character while improving safety.
The workshop produced no binding decisions; consultants will provide follow-up modeling and short-term implementation proposals for council review.
