Florida Department of Transportation’s new district secretary, Stacy Miller, joined Monroe County Commissioners on Sept. 15 to discuss her plans for the future of the FDOT.
Miller attended the Monroe County Board of County Commissioners meeting to introduce herself and her plans for the future of the FDOT. At the meeting, the commissioners approved a resolution supporting traffic flow improvement projects that would alleviate congestion and improve the level of service on U.S. 1. They also requested the FDOT’s partnership to address and solve transportation issues affecting the Florida Keys that maintain safe, resilient and efficient access and travel along U.S. 1. Increased congestion and poor traffic flow have consistently been a concern voiced by residents of Monroe County.
In 2019, the commissioners, led by Commissioner David Rice, established the Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee to coordinate transportation efforts among the county and its five municipalities. The committee is developing recommendations and potential solutions to traffic issues.
In addition, in March 2020, the BOCC began a Transportation Master Plan with the community’s input to provide recommendations for U.S. 1 improvements. The plan is anticipated to be completed and presented to the commissioners in October for review with recommended potential projects.
The resolution:
• Requests the replacement of missing mile marker signs along U.S. 1 and installation of half-mile marker signs (MM 88.5) to facilitate traffic flow.
• Asks for FDOT’s support of the potential project list and recommendations from the Transportation Master Plan and the Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee, especially in areas at or below the adopted level of service standard “C” as identified in the 2021 U.S. 1 Arterial Travel Time and Delay Study.
• Asks the FDOT to dedicate staff to coordinate with the county and its five municipalities to review recommended projects and assist in evaluating project opportunities, constraints, prioritization, implementation steps and timelines (such as planning, feasibility, and warrant studies), and breakdown of costs.
• Authorizes staff to work with the municipalities and the FDOT to identify projects that can be funded and implemented within the next five-year work program.
