City of Cape Canaveral squashes roundabout plans and arrives at two traffic alternatives
Now that public pressure has put a halt to plans for a roundabout in Cape Canaveral, residents and the City Council must decide between two alternative plans for a dangerous, busy intersection.
Vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians will see changes to the area near International Drive and S.R. A1A and Atlantic Avenue, where the two side roads meet the main thoroughfare at an awkward curve.
Plans by Florida Department of Transportation to put a roundabout at the intersection were met by a fierce public backlash that ended with the City Council voting to officially request it be changed back in August.
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After much debate and back-and-forth with FDOT, Cape Canaveral residents have narrowed their options for the area to two:
Option one includes a separate lane for cyclists and 5ft-wide sidewalks for pedestrians — both protected by landscaped buffers — with a center turning lane separating northbound and southbound vehicles. Estimated FDOT cost is $9.5 million.
Option two foresees a 9ft-wide sidewalk for both pedestrians and cyclists which would be protected by landscaped buffers. But in this rendition, instead of a center turning lane there would be a landscaped median separating opposing traffic. This version, according to FDOT, will cost around $13.2 million.
No action was taken at Tuesday's workshop and final approval of any plan is at the state transportation agency's discretion because State Road A1A falls under their authority.
Cape Canaveral Mayor Wes Morrison has said FDOT has been more than helpful in working with residents and the city on the project and being flexible to other solutions, with two alternatives presented to the Council in a workshop Tuesday.
Morrison has been strongly opposed to the roundabout when it was being planned and led the push against FDOT to have the alternative solutions that are currently on the table.
Which of the two potential plans the city will go with remains to be seen as the City Council at Tuesday's workshop decided to ask the Florida Department of Transportation for more clarity.
Council members hope that more renderings and in-depth details on the plans will help residents and officials which to choose.
The main goal for these changes is to improve safety conditions along this stretch of A1A in Cape Canaveral. A 2018 community survey found that 79% of residents don’t feel safe walking or biking on A1A.
Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cape Canaveral halts roundabout plans for two traffic alternatives
