Representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation and Port St. Lucie presented preliminary schematics for the final leg of widening of Port St. Lucie Boulevard June 25.
This $21 million buildout, due to span from fall 2027 to spring 2030, will widen the final 1.12-mile stretch of Port St. Lucie Boulevard from Paar Drive to its southern terminus at Becker Road, schematics show. It will be the last 3.5 miles of roadway improved there since 2021.
Like other parts of the boulevard, the new construction will incorporate a 100-foot-wide right of way. It will use two 11-foot car lanes in either direction bordering 5-foot culverts on each shoulder; new 10-foot sidewalks; and 18-foot landscaped medians.
Unlike other portions, this leg will see the “full reconstruction” of a bridge between Jingle and Hoffenberg avenues, said Paola Riveros, project manager with R.J. Behar and Company, Inc.
This bridge will replace one spanning approximately 80 feet over the E-84 Canal, adding a challenge not previously encountered in widening, Riveros said. “The other portions didn’t have a bridge.”
One option to reroute traffic under consideration will direct drivers toward other bridges along Savona and Darwin boulevards, both of which service homes in the southern city.
“The local traffic will be able to use Port St. Lucie Boulevard,” Riveros said, adding that thru traffic will use detours between Darwin and Alcantarra boulevards. “The alternative of closing the bridge is currently under study.”
Another challenge concerns new lanes at the three-way intersection of Gig Place, just south of the canal. Gig Place turns into a cul-de-sac, which houses several homes and a Somerset Academy charter school branch.
Widening there would likely use three turn lanes. One would route drivers in each direction to Gig Place while a northbound left turn lane would allow U-turns while providing access to homes opposite the entrance.
Building right-of-way access to Gig Place, however, may impact six parcels directly south of there; the closest two of which contain homes as opposed to vacant lots. The 4400 block farther south will also have a box culvert for a smaller canal.
By late 2030, Port St. Lucie Boulevard will link more traffic “between both major interchanges” to Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 95, which may benefit more homes there, said Riveros.
Despite these promises, the Thursday night meeting saw a small turnout of two attendees: one each in-person or over Zoom. “I’m not sure why we didn’t get as much of a turnout,” said city Public Works engineer Clyde Cuffy, who added the city continues to regularly announce meetings in its online outreach.
Widening Port St. Lucie Boulevard has made up 12 years of Cuffy’s 21-year career, five being its buildout to Becker Road since 2021. “It is a big achievement for the city,” Cuffy said.
In addition to the turnpike and I-95, the boulevard reaching Becker would improve connections to more remote parts of the county built as recently as last year. “Right now, you can take Becker Road all the way to Range Line Road,” Cuffy said. “I think it’s a good testament (to the) collaboration between state and local agencies.”
This project will coincide with $25.6 million in widening currently in progress between Paar Drive and Alcantarra Boulevard. FDOT workers have been widening this 1.08-mile portion of roadway, which connects to several homes and shopping centers, since September.