Get ready for some new traffic disruptions around some of Palm Coast’s busiest arteries: Old Kings Road North, just past Kings Way, and along Belle Terre Parkway from south of Buddy Taylor Middle School to Royal Palms Parkway.
The $18.3 million widening to four lanes of 1.4 miles of Old kings Road North, from Kings Way to Frontier Drive will start once additional design is completed. This will be phase two of a three-phase plan. Phase one, the widening of a 0.6-mile stretch of the road from south of Palm Coast Parkway to Kings Way, was completed in 2021. Funding for phase three, which would pay for completing the four-laning to Forest Grove Drive, has not been secured.
Once completed, phase two will have lined Old Kings Road with continuous street lighting, 8-foot-wide walking and biking paths on both sides of the road, add some turn lanes and new landscaping.
Mayor David Alfin was concerned about that stretch of Old King Road becoming a “drag strip.” But the $900,000 design plan in the works will look at adding traffic signals at some of the intersections, which would slow traffic (and aggravated drivers).
“It is a little bit of a deterrent that you have to drive past the Sheriff’s Office substation over there, you see all these cop cars parked out there,” Council member Nick Klufas said. Alfin doubted it. But speaking later on the broader scope of road projects, he said of the public: “It is important for them to know that the dollars are being carefully spent to improve the safety along the roadways.”
The $18.3 million for Old Kings Road was part of the money the city secured by leveraging the house speakership of Paul Renner, the Palm Coast Republican, to the city’s advantage. But the $900,000 design work the council approved on Tuesday is paid for with the city’s own transportation impact fees, the one-time levy developers pay to defray the impact of development on roads. No property tax revenue is being used for the projects.
Belle Terre Parkway meanwhile will see seven intersections improved with turning or deceleration lanes, enhancing road safety on a parkway that continues to regularly log serious and deadly crashes. The Belle Terre Parkway safety improvements received $4.5 million in state dollars. Here are the coming construction segments and improvements:
- At Pritchard Drive, the northbound sidewalk will be realigned, a deceleration right-turn lane will be added for northbound traffic turning onto Pritchard, and drainage will be improved.
- At Whipporwill Drive, a deceleration right-turn lane will be added for northbound traffic turning onto Whipporwill.
- At Whiteview Parkway, the sidewalk on the south side of Whiteview will be realigned and right-turn lanes will be added to Whiteview, for traffic going south and north on Belle Terre.
- At Pine Grove Drive, a deceleration and right turn-lane will be added, realigning the sidewalk. The intersection has been the scene of several crashes with fatalities. So a directional turning lane will be added to the median, so that southbound traffic making a turn onto Pine Grove will have that added protection. But traffic exiting Pine Grove will only be allowed to turn right, or north, and will no longer be able to cross the parkway to make a left turn and go south.
- At Ponce de Leon Drive, a deceleration right-turn lane will be added for northbound traffic turning onto Ponce de Leon.
- At Point Pleasant Drive, a deceleration right-turn lane will be added for northbound traffic turning onto Point Pleasant.
- At Royal Palms Parkway, one of the most congested intersections in the city, several turning lanes will be extended, pedestrian crossings will be eliminated, drainage will be improved, and traffic signals will be updated.
The improvements were recommended by the River to Sea Transportation Planning Organization as far back as 2016. Palm Coast built some of those recommendations already, like the traffic signal at Market Avenue on Belle Terre and the turning lane on East Hampton. “These are the remaining improvements from that study,” Carl Cote, the city’s construction manager, said. The infusion of state dollars makes it easier to pay for the projects.
The city council on Tuesday approved spending $352,000 in a “scope and fee” package ahead of bidding out the $4 million construction contracts.
“We hear clearly from city council that safety is a top priority,” City Manager Denise Bevan said. “I know specifically the Belle Terre project is absolutely critically needed. We hear from commander [Phil] Reynolds on a weekly basis on where these accidents are happening and where we should be most thoughtful of prioritizing projects. So in essence, it really is a challenge to get the funding to lift these heavy projects. You look at the history of Palm Coast Parkway and it took 20 years to expand that and to have a strategy to improve traffic flow, relieve congestion. But ultimately it’s all about safety.”
Tony Amaral, the developer, has no issue with the improvements. But he had one request for the council: “Can we do something where we’re not under construction at 8 o’clock in the morning, at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when those roads are already super saturated, and we are literally shutting down what we have to one lane and trying to get everyone through there, and we’re creating a hazard later on.”
But night construction has been an issue for contractors across the region. Earlier this month the general contractor for the coming Margaritaville Hotel planned for downtown Flagler Beach was asked by several residents whether night construction was possible, to reduce the impact on traffic. No, he said: he’s having a hard enough time finding construction workers for regular, day shifts.
In Palm Coast, the work won’t be done at night, either. The quality of work is better during the day, Cote said. But city planners, not the contractor, will come up with the traffic-flow plan.
“There’s obviously many intersections, we’re not going to let them start working on all six or seven of them at one time,” Cote said. “There’s going to be some sequencing. Obviously, you can’t do the work without impact to the traffic flow, but we’re going to try and work on the best plan to minimize that traffic flow. It may make the contract or the work take a little bit longer.” The planners will take into account when traffic is at its heaviest, when school buses are using the roadway. But there will be some discomfort ahead. “Obviously there are times when there’s certain underground work where you have to leave it closed for a certain period of time because you can’t open and close it the same day type of thing.”
David Schaefer says
How about 4 laning Old Kings Road south from the Woodlands to the traffic light going into Palm Coast along with these projects.
Dennis C Rathsam says
Poppycock…. Kings rd should be done at night! Too much traffic at rush hour. Between school buses, parent driving to the school in town center. 95 was done at night, this part of Kings rd is in the middle of the woods, no homes…Who cares if the birds cant sleep. Quality control happens day or night, another shitty excuse. There are plenty of workers that will work at night, its cooler! If they need a job, they gotta feed thier families, they gotta go to work….I worked nights for many years, your body adapts. Too many primadonnas in the construction industy in P/C. Look outside the box, to a large construction Co… They have the man power, to move this project foward. Lets not do this 1/2 ass again with the same people!!!! Remember this is the city of pissing away money, & do overs!
celia pugliese says
The benefit and safety created for the traffic, will totally outweigh the vehicular interruption issues.
James says
While they’re at it, I hope they finish the sidewalk on the east side of Old Kings going south to the utility department.
Roger says
Wow, who wants to live in retire in this mess. This is the rat race that I left. I don’t want construction 24 seven the rest of my retirement life. I am putting my place on the market and headed back to North Carolina. Forget this place.
Bobby Carter says
One less angry neighbor. Good bye and best wishes. Can I come help you pack?
Nancy Miller says
“At Whipporwill Drive, a deceleration right-turn lane will be added for northbound traffic turning onto Whipporwill.”
Really? Northbound? Please explain.
Denali says
Alfin is worried about Old Kings becoming a drag strip? Never going to happen (/S). No one was concerned about that happening to Belle Terre when it was widened 13 – 14 years ago. The FCSO still does not believe it and the deputies remain scarce late most every night. Not saying these are NHRA sanctioned events but the night we saw the gal with a starter flag and a flashlight we wondered. Gets to the point some weekend nights you could set up some lawn chairs and bring a cooler out in front of Indian Trails school to watch the goings-on.
And if Klufas was not so clue-less, he would know that the majority of those ‘cop cars’ are just that COPS cars and not enforcement vehicles. All the real road cars are either tucked safely away in a deputies driveway or parked nose-to-tail in a church parking lot.
Back in the day when we had the inclination we at least took the show out of town with no houses around for miles.
Skibum says
I’m pleased to FINALLY hear about the city council vote to start the phase 2 road widening on Old Kings Rd., a much needed improvement project that is way over due. I just wish there was some way the Palm Coast could complete the widening all the way up to Forest Grove now instead of waiting more years to do phase 3. This project has already been delayed many more years than projected. The city has designated Old Kings Rd. as the alternate route for traffic to use any time I-95 is closed down as well as for use as one of the primary evacuation routes. Delaying the completion of the road widening will only add to the cost of this priority road project.
Regulator says
You might as well rename it CLUSTER PARKWAY.
Jillene says
So what is being done on Belle Terre is to add turning lanes, no turning lights and no Belle Terre crossing off the side roads. This will lead to frustration/confusion (especially those from out of town). Interesting…
William says
Why doesn’t the city of palm coast put services such as Publix Winn-Dixie Walmart and other stores on the other side of the city, that would eliviate some of the traffic problems on 100 and belltere
Donald Duck says
Because the amount of the trafffic on these streets is great that they doing expansion
However what this City Council the side streets, There are many of them that need help
lights calming the road speed devices Ormond Beach Daytona Port orange all have gone to this technical
form. Most of these other cities have gone to this technical procedure. Cimmaon DV 167 traffic tickers in 18 months on a road
that goes 1.1 miles, Bevan stated that some people on that road go 70 80 miles per hour
Florida park, Frontier, the R, S, P all have had deaths.
This City Council does what they want, and no concern for the public, Vice Mayor Danko is the entire shine out of this group
People in this city have asked for a Foreics order, and the city should grant it if they dont what are they hiding
Years ago their was concil person who claimed he wanted to investigate the water dept because of what they were doing to the residents, that still goes on. when we get Council People complaining to the press about one person making statements it is only one thats not true wawa and Forenics order were several not just one
The Boogey Man says
This is going to be fun to watch. I bet that our city staffers, under the direction of Carl Cote, have selected the contractor who will make this project a total joy. I see cost overruns and delays to say nothing about the traffic nightmares ahead. Oh, did I mention that the city’s traffic engineer has not a clue? He is only good at setting the timer for traffic lights! I have to really wonder if our city council has any clue about the pitfalls and major headaches coming their way. None of them have the smarts on how to keep this project devoid of cost overruns.
Bill C says
How about installing a smart traffic light system?
https://science.howstuffworks.com/engineering/civil/smart-traffic-lights-news.htm
Shark says
Anyone who thinks that passing all of those sheriff cars on Old Kings will slow people down is a moron. Just sit by the traffic light for a few minutes and you will see car after car blowing the red lights and not stopping for a right turn on red.
anon says
Where can we find more web posted info on the planned road design discussed in this article and place for comment?