• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

18 Years in the Works, Commerce Parkway Connection from SR100 to US1 Is Finally a Go

December 6, 2022 | FlaglerLive | 12 Comments

Commerce Parkway in Bunnell as it looks today. It curves to the right, where the Sheriff's Office's Operations Center has gone up. Once construction starts on the road, it will go straight and through scrubland to U.S. 1. (© FlaglerLive)
Commerce Parkway in Bunnell as it looks today. It curves to the right, where the Sheriff’s Office’s Operations Center has gone up. Once construction starts on the road, it will go straight and through scrubland to U.S. 1. (© FlaglerLive)

Building a two-lane bypass around Bunnell has been talked about for 18 years. On Monday, the Flagler County Commission cleared the way for construction to begin next summer. All told, the project will cost upwards of $15 million.




“This is really a big deal for the county. This is an economic boon to the county,” County Commission Chairman Greg Hansen said. “This is some more housing for the county. This is a lot of things that we want to get done.”

The road will provide a loop access from State Road 100 and to U.S. 1, also providing an alternative route in case of an emergency in Bunnell. It will be low-frills: 12-foot lanes, no beautification, no bike lanes, an 8-foot shoulder, 5 feet of it paved, a five-foot sidewalk only on the east side of the road, a wildlife fence, and the usual stormwater ponds. Commissioner Andy Dance thought the sidewalk seemed narrow for a connector road. Al-Khatib didn’t disagree, but that’s the downside of a design sitting on a shelf for so long. She described it as a local roadway.

In essence, the road will not look significantly different than the Commerce Parkway that covers a part of the stretch at the moment. It’ll be longer.

“It’s a regional project and there is a lot of benefit not only for the city of Bunnell, but also for Flagler County,” County Engineer Faith al-Khatib said. “We are ready to move forward. We are anticipating to start construction sometime in July-August, it depends on the design and the permits we can get from the City of Bunnell.”

There is no further land acquisition necessary for the right of way.

Bunnell previously spent $2 million on an environmental assessment and the design, which, once completed, has been sitting on a shelf for five years. The road construction is currently projected to cost $11 million. The city and the county got $6.8 million in a legislative appropriation earlier this year.




That left quite a shortfall. The county threw in $3.1 million in transportation impact fee revenue. “Working with the city of Bunnell closely, they came up with $1 million additional to fill in the gap to get the project done,” al-Khatib said. An additional $3.5 million in utility, water and sewer services are not part of the transportation project. That will be paid out of Bunnell’s utility funds.

The county’s impact fee fund will be wiped out once the project is funded.

Meanwhile the design must be updated. It will be, by the same design team, for $433,000. And construction costs are “going up on a monthly basis,” al-Khatib said. Once the project is advertised for a contractor, the cost may well be significantly higher than it is today.

“We’ve identified certain needs for the county, so what I see is as important for this roadway as it opens up,” Commissioner Andy Dance said, “it’s developable areas for industrial and commercial property that’ll be attractive to people because of its proximity to government services, and now the Sheriff’s Office’s Operation Center, and access to U.S. 1 and 100.”

Bunnell’s city hall and a new south-side library will also be built along the road, with the existing Government Services Building, the courthouse and the Emergency Operations Center all within sight. The land on both sides of the eventual road is currently zoned industrial.



Industrial development has been a pronounced need in the county, to balance its reliance on residential development’s tax revenue. The zoning may be changed “downward,” however, meaning that it could be rezoned for commercial or residential uses. The road will also be going through wetlands, which may not be built on.

About 12 years ago, Bunnell was resistant to the road as proposed by the state Department of Transportation at the time, fearing that it would divert too much traffic from downtown Bunnell. That’s no longer a concern.

“I don’t think it will change the character of the city,” Dance said. “When this first came up there wasn’t even a Grand Reserve. I think some of the patterns have changed and growth has occurred to the point where there’s plenty of downtown traffic and I don’t know that this will change the character.” Grand Reserve is the single largest residential development in Bunnell, fronting on both 100 and U.S. 1.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. G A says

    December 6, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    So good to hear! It’s about time! Now add a traffic light at Rt 100 and Commerce. That intersection has gotten progressively dangerous

    Reply
    • C’mon man says

      December 6, 2022 at 9:10 pm

      In front of the courthouse is also bad

      Reply
    • A Concerned Observer says

      December 7, 2022 at 8:26 am

      I totally agree with this commenter but It’s not that simple. The Florida Department Of Transportation (FDOT) determines whether a traffic signal will be allowed on State Highways based upon it’s specific guidelines ( https://www.fdot.gov/traffic/faqs/TrafSignalFAQ#Q3 and https://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/). This approval process is like mating elephants. It’s done at a high level; it’s accomplished with a great deal of roaring and screaming and it takes two years to produce results (or in this case, may even take longer).

      Reply
      • Max Gordon says

        December 7, 2022 at 9:18 am

        During the times of higher traffic.. just posting a couple officers to halt traffic on US100 till the commerce area lets out of work.. Somehow the Catholics make this happen for their church on Belle Terre.. So, where are they for that particular area during busier times.. hehe

        Reply
  2. Really Nessesary? says

    December 7, 2022 at 6:49 am

    Do we really need 4 roads (Seminole Woods, Belle Terre, this Commerce and Rt 100 itself) to get from US 1 to Rt 100???

    Reply
    • Cynthia Whiteman says

      December 7, 2022 at 10:24 am

      Agree! What a waste of our money

      Reply
      • Mark Pedraza says

        December 7, 2022 at 7:50 pm

        I agree. I also want to add can we please repave matanzas parkway first?

        Reply
  3. Quinn says

    December 7, 2022 at 8:05 am

    Maybe we should use that money to rebuild A1A.

    Reply
  4. Jay tomm says

    December 7, 2022 at 9:40 am

    Traffic lights were already approved at both locations. Part of this deal.
    This will create a ton of traffic. You have the SO building, Bunnell PD/cityhall, the library complex, & that church. Plus the regular government center & court house.
    More building, more kick backs.
    Wendy’s should do well though LOL

    Reply
  5. George says

    December 7, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    Not needed, more spending and waste, less wilderness, more traffic.

    Reply
  6. M and M says

    December 8, 2022 at 7:50 am

    Off subject, but when is Flagler or Palm Coast going to put in the works for another Walmart? Or Target? Getting to and from in congestive traffic at one in Palm Coast is crazy.

    Plenty of land up the road to relieve the headache.

    Just another vacationer who would like the easy-get-away from it all!

    Good day!

    Reply
  7. G A says

    December 12, 2022 at 4:57 pm

    When is the new BJ’s coming in?? I’ve been hearing some wildly different rumors……

    Reply
  • Flagler Radio food-a-thon
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • Flagler Radio food-a-thon
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • FlaglerLive on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Same song different tune on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Jimbo99 on China’s Hypersonic Missiles May End America’s Pacific Supremacy
  • Duncan on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Duncan on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Angela on In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
  • Angela on In Seminole Woods, 42 Acres of Greenbelt Are Converted to Allow 180-Home Subdivision
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Samuel L. Bronkowitz on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • same name on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • dislike them on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Laurel on Palm Coast Fines Waste Pro $125 For Every Recycling Bins It’s Taking Back and Threatens Litigation
  • Laurel on DeSantis from Governor’s Mansion to Presidential Run
  • jnlocal on Flagler Sheriff’s Sgt. Breckwoldt, In Charge of Narcotics Unit, at Center of Abuse of Power Allegation
  • Laurel on DeSantis from Governor’s Mansion to Presidential Run

Log in