The Florida Department of Transportation held a public meeting last week to share with area residents a plan to affect — with a hope to improve — the flow of traffic along Vineland Road (State Road 535) between U.S. Highway 192 and International Drive heading toward Orange County.
Planned changes to intersections, including those at Poinciana Boulevard, Polynesian Isle Boulevard and at the LBV Factory Stores would restrict some turns and, in turn, hopefully improve safety along that stretch of highway.
But, some area residents aren’t convinced it will help.
Resurfacing and improving sidewalks and bike lanes are part of the project, which is in the design and planning stages now, and if funded as expected wouldn’t go under construction until the end of 2024.
To improve traffic flow, FDOT proposes a series of new intersection modifications. A Restricted Crossing U-Turn (RCUT) design is proposed at LBV Factory Stores Drive, which would not allow left turns out of the stores onto Vineland Road. A Partial Median U-Turn (PMUT) design is proposed at Polynesian Isle Boulevard and Poinciana Boulevard. At these intersections, traffic on Vineland can turn right or go straight through the intersection. Those on Vineland wishing to turn left onto those streets would go through the intersection, make a U-turn a few hundred feet past those intersections, then turn right onto the side streets.
Traffic from the side streets can go straight through the intersection, or turn right or left onto Vineland — that is unchanged from the current configuration. These designs enhance safety by reducing conflict points, or places where vehicles could potentially cross paths and collide.
Those dedicated U-Turns would also have traffic signals, putting a string of signals on Vineland in a rather short distance. But Kevin Powell, FDOT’s project manager for this project, said those lights would all be synchronized to maximize the constant flow of traffic on Vineland. He also noted the few number of northbound left turns onto those streets shown by traffic studies rationalize the PMUT design.
Another planned pedestrian safety improvement is reconstructing and extending curbs to reduce crossing distances. New bicycle lanes next to right turn lanes (called keyhole lanes) are planned at Osceola County Parkway and Calypso Cay Way.
Other operational improvements include adding a third left turn lane from S.R. 535 and upgrading traffic signals at Kyngs Heath Road, the Osceola Parkway eastbound on-ramp, Poinciana Boulevard and LBV Factory Stores Drive. The turn lanes at Kyngs Heath Road will be extended and lighting will also be enhanced at signalized intersections.
Local residents of Indian Wells, which is along Polynesian Isle, who attended the meeting seemed concerned about the number of lights on Vineland Road, and the potential for cut-through traffic in their neighborhood to avoid a newly-configured Vineland.
“People were unhappy when they left,” said Michele Molesky, the Indian Wells homeowner’s association president. “Their video was confusing. Telling us it will cause less traffic, I don’t see that. I see more people trying to avoid Vineland by cutting down Polynesian Isle, using us as a by-pass and creating more headaches if they know their way around. I see that traffic every day, it’s obviously coming from somewhere. I don’t necessarily think this needs to be done.”
