Residents and visitors who travel Belle Terre Parkway in Palm Coast near Indian Trails Middle School and Belle Terre Elementary School have likely encountered some dips in the road. City work crews will remedy those roadways and return them to safe traveling conditions, starting Monday (Dec. 12).
The stormwater culvert pipes that run parallel to and under the southbound lane of Belle Terre Parkway must be repaired to stabilize the road and prevent more dips from forming. This construction project will require daily lane closures. The section of lane closure will change as the project progresses from the northern project boundary to the southern. Proper signage will be displayed in order to inform drivers of any changes in traffic flow. Pedestrian walkways will not be affected during this project.
Contractors will be working Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. The project’s estimated completion date is March 30, 2023.
The City of Palm Coast recognizes this as a widely utilized roadway near two public schools. All efforts will be made to keep traffic flowing as much as possible. Indian Trails Middle School and Belle Terre Elementary have an enrollment of 2,700 students between them, plus faculty, plus other employees, all of whom use Belle Terre Parkway to access the schools.
The project begins just before Flagler Schools break for the winter holidays in an effort to complete a portion of the project during the students’ and faculty’s time off. Schools are off from Dec. 23 through Jan. 8.
Why not carry out the project during the summer months when schools are out? Because this specific type of project would create undue hardship on crews and make the work difficult due to extreme heat within the stormwater pipes beneath the road, resulting in unsafe working conditions.
While large improvement projects such as this can cause disruptions to residents’ schedules, it is imperative to keep the roadways in safe working order, the city said in a release.
The City of Palm Coast appreciates the patience and cooperation of residents and motorists during this time. For more information, contact customer service at [email protected] or 386-986-2360. A request can also be submitted through palmcoast.gov/connect.
Jairo Castro says
Looks like nothing has happened on Belle Terre since the start date on December 12. Are they already behind schedule?
Nancy N. says
We live near BTES and ITMS and drive past them practically every time we leave the house. We never saw any work happening on the road near the schools during the entire school break (despite the presence of lighted signs warning about lane closures). But of course today, the first day school was back…the work crews are out there in force and during a time the school zone was active, had the left lane closed southbound from in front of ITMS all the way past the entrance to the sports fields. WTH? Is this a joke, or just the city’s idea of planning a project?