Commissioners Discuss and Recommend Potential Solution Projects for U.S. 1 (Overseas Highway)

MONROE COUNTY, FL – The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) met today in a special meeting to review and adopt a resolution recommending a set of potential solution projects approved in the U.S. 1 Transportation Master Plan for Monroe County.

“The Florida Keys are dependent on safe, attractive, resilient, sustainable, and efficient access and travel along U.S. 1,” said Monroe County Senior Director of Planning and Environmental Resources, Emily Schemper. “Monroe County residents recognize and regularly express their concerns about ongoing increases in traffic issues on U.S. 1.”

There are 183 projects on the solutions list, with 58 projects already programmed in the current Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) work program.

At the meeting, the following goals were discussed:

• Traffic flow improvement projects that benefit and serve all Monroe County residents, enhancing their quality of life, while also considering visitors and fostering economic sustainability for the Florida Keys.
• Improvement projects facilitating movement and connectivity and alleviating congestion.
• Improvement projects addressing areas of marginally adequate or that are operating below the County’s adopted Level of Service standard for Windley Key and in Upper Matecumbe.
• Improvement projects enhancing safety, particularly in areas with high crash rates (targeting locations that were on the high crash lists for multiple years).
• Improvement projects addressing intermodal transportation systems and facilitating mass transit opportunities.

The BOCC accepted staff-recommended projects and added several additional projects. The adopted recommendations include:

• Key West: improve pedestrian and bicycle features at the US1/Roosevelt Boulevard intersection
• Key West: reconfigure the intersection of US-1 and Roosevelt Boulevard
• Stock Island: Modify signal timing along U.S. 1 between Roosevelt Boulevard and MacDonald Avenue to help improve traffic flow.
• Big Pine Key: identify potential pedestrian and bicycle signing and pavement marking improvements along U.S. 1 in the vicinity of Key Deer Boulevard.
• Marathon: restrict traffic to a “RIGHT TURN ONLY” at the intersection of US-1 and Aviation Boulevard/72nd Street
• Islamorada: determine the need for turn lanes and/or other access management improvements. Also, review the possibility of improvements to the Old Highway to better serve as a frontage road
• Key Largo: pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle signing and pavement marking improvements along U.S. 1 in the vicinity of the Ocean Bay Drive/Atlantic Avenue, Laguna Avenue, Holiday Boulevard, and Magnolia Street intersections in Key Largo.
• Key Largo: intersection improvements at US-1 and CR 905, including bike lane continuity through the intersection
• All: Consider a water ferry service from Miami to Key West
• All: traffic management strategies, like extend Road Ranger Services or pilot program focusing on high crash locations
• At the meeting, the commissioners removed looking closer at automated busses and added prioritizing the Snake Creek Bridge replacement, changing the weigh station in the Upper Keys to a weigh-in-motion station, adding additional bus stops and shelters, prioritizing the completion of the bike and pedestrian sidewalks, and modifying the crosswalk and signal near Key Largo School

The County is working with the incorporated municipalities to get their input on projects to prioritize as well. Once received, the Florida Keys Transportation Coordination Committee will hold a special meeting in January 2022 to compile and prioritize the entire list of projects from the County and municipalities. The finalized recommendations and resolution will be made at the regular February 2022 BOCC meeting to be transmitted to the FDOT.

The County would like to make this a yearly process for coordinating recommendations to FDOT for their annual 5-year work program cycle.

Currently, the FDOT Five-Year Work Plan already includes:

• 6 projects for Key West
• 12 projects in the Lower Keys (Rockland through Little Torch)
• 7 projects for Big Pine Key
• 3 projects for Bahia Honda
• 7 projects for Marathon
• 8 projects for Islamorada
• 8 projects for Key Largo
• 4 projects addressing technology and operations throughout the Florida Keys

To see the full list of the 183 projects in the Transportation Master Plan, visit www.monroecounty-fl.gov/transportation.