St Johns County Board of Commissioners Meeting March 1, Tuesday Safety Improvements to CR210

The St Johns County Board of Commissioners is meeting March 1, Tuesday to discuss safety improvements to CR 210 from ICW Brdige east to AIA/Mickler Road. The improvement as planed at this point calls for pedestrian sidewalk which will likely be less than 5 foot outside the current paved roadway. This stretch of 210 is unsafe for pedestrians, motor vehicles and bicycles a sidewalk is not the answer.

Please read the below your support in broadcasting this to the community is greatly appreciated. The below information is also in the attached as well as a map pointing out the location of the the St Johns County Administration Building.

Attention

All Bicyclists Who Ride St Johns County Highway 210

Between The Intracoastal Waterway and AIA

On Tuesday March 1st at 9:00 in the morning the St Johns County Board of County Commissioners will discuss and vote on a resolution to:

· Construct a sidewalk from the east end of the Intracoastal Bridge to Mickler Road.

· Although constructing a sidewalk enhances pedestrian safety along this narrow and dangerous stretch of road. The limited available right of way space limits the separation between pedestrians and motor vehicles.

· The resolution and sidewalk plan does not address the safety for the hundreds of bicycles that travel this roadway in any given week.

We need a solution that addresses the safety needs of the entire Ponte Vedra and Beaches communities.

· Highway 210 is a Hurricane Evacuation route all traffic restricted to westbound only during an evacuation.

· The developers of Nocatee have in accordance with the Development Order for Nocatee provided payment to St Johns County in the amount of $5,500,000 to construct a 4 lane roadway

· Under the Development Order St Johns County was to purchase the land needed to widen the right-of-way.

A safe roadway that could serve as viable evacuation route for all Ponte Vedra residents is a critical need for the entire community. There is an option to constructing a 4 lane road. This option consists of:

· Widening the roadway within current right of way limits and adding a paved shoulder.

· This shoulder can be used by cyclists and provides a pull off area should a vehicle experience mechanical failure or a flat tire during an evacuation.

· Construct a multi-purpose paved 8 foot wide path in an easement outside the existing southerly right of way limit.

· This path truly separates pedestrians from vehicular traffic and can be could be used by emergency vehicles to travel east during an evacuation.

To date the cycling community’s voice has not been heard on this matter. The time to voice your concerns is now.

If you cannot attend the March 1st Board of County Commissioners meeting email Commissioner Cindi Stevenson at bccd1@sjcfl.us to let her know your position.