Roundabout at Atlantic and Beach

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Not sure if this is relevant, but I drove this one weekly as I was growing up.  It's in Hilton Head, SC and both the lanes coming from the North and the East are both busy roads due to the direct west being Sea Pines Plantation and due south is the main beach area on the island.



https://www.google.com/maps/@32.1555582,-80.7629411,17z

[thelakelander]

Over the years, FDOT has turned both of those streets into highways.

Thanks tufsu for the numbers.  Looks like it would likely be 2 lanes.

Lake, I was trying to think of something that wasn't signalized and kept traffic moving.  Didn't they have a signalized intersection before and that's what wasn't working?  My vision was something similar to San Marco blvd when you enter San Marco square from downtown except slightly higher volumes so an extra lane.  The idea would be not to have people zip through St N but to intentionally slow them down but keep them moving, which is much more pedestrian friendly.  Right now it's tough to even walk on the sidewalks next to the stores because the traffic is bombing past you and it doesn't feel safe and isnt a pleasant experience.

My guess is that the flyover probably dates back to the days of the Jacksonville Expressway Authority.  They built a lot of projects in the 1950s and 1960s that probably aren't the most ideal for today's travel patterns, vehicles, etc. Sort of like when I-95 had that weird death trap of an exit near McCoys Creek, before the I-95/I-10 interchange rebuild.

If you want to slow down traffic, one of the best ways to do it is to get cars to come to a complete stop, which is what a full signal would accomplish. You could also reduce travel lane widths to 11' or 10.5' (I'm involved with a few Central Florida complete street projects where FDOT District 5 is allowing 10.5' lane widths in constrained areas), add enhanced high visibility crosswalks, pedestrian channelization techniques, etc. to improve the environment of this stretch.  I'm sure this and more will be considered as a part of JTA's Mobility Works program that's getting underway.

I don't think you can pull off a roundabout at that weird intersection. You essentially have three roads coming together at a weird angle. One is 8-lanes (Atlantic heading west), one is 6-lanes (Atlantic heading east) and the other is 4-lanes (Beach). At the very least, you'd be looking at a traffic circle that will most likely take out a few businesses or residences to accommodate it. The inside diameter of the Hilton Head example is almost 300' wide. Something that size, definitely takes out a few spaces like Mudville Grill, E Med, Havana Jax or residences off Nicholson Road.

[Charles Hunter]

I know the overpass was there in the late 1960s - remember being a pssenger witha friend coming back to take the SAT at Bishop Kenney, and him peeling out over the overpass.

[spuwho]

I know the overpass was there in the late 1960s - remember being a pssenger witha friend coming back to take the SAT at Bishop Kenney, and him peeling out over the overpass.

There is a date stamp on each end of the bridge. I thinks it says 1964 or 1966.

I think it was done before the Hart Bridge was, hence all the traffic being routed west on Atlantic to reach the Alsop or Acosta.

With the Koger Center expansion at the same time on Beach, this was a busy place.

[LilBuck]

Hi everyone,
I've been a lurker for a long time, but wanted to respond when I saw this thread. I moved to St. Nick about a year and half ago and detest that Beach overpass. It is hideous and I have commented to my husband many times that I would like to see a roundabout and more attention to improving the little town center area. I would love to see the old clock on Mudville restored with its neon lighting!

[ProjectMaximus]

^You have compelled me to add my support for the removal of this overpass. Although I obviously think it's a tough sell if the infrastructure is still sound, I would love to somehow see this thing gone. I also like the potential for this area and hope the little "town center" improves over time.

(And I speak as someone who habitually runs late and very often speeds through this area. But it would totally be worth the additional one minute it costs me.)