Crosstown Parkway Extension

Improving Port St. Lucie’s multi-modal transportation intersection

The Crosstown Parkway Extension project included a third bridge crossing on the North Fork of the St. Lucie. River. The bridge traverses a highly environmentally sensitive area, requiring the minimization of wetland impacts and the protection of Savannas Preserve State Park. The new six-lane divided highway and bridge now serves as a critical hurricane evacuation route, a multi-modal transportation alternative including automobile, bicycle, pedestrian, and public transit accommodations, and includes an ADA-accessible canoe launch area.

Funding for this project was in jeopardy, but RS&H was part of the design-build team that made the project happen. Innovations through design-build allowed for the true best value, completing at nearly $15M below the budget set by the city without sacrificing any of the community features that significantly enhanced the corridor and provided value to the residents.

A unique feature of this project is the superstreet intersection at Crosstown Parkway and Floresta Drive, the first of its kind in Florida. Travelers on Crosstown Parkway treat the intersection the same as any traditional signalized intersection. Those on Floresta Drive are only able to turn right at the intersection. They then go through signalized, synchronized u-turns in order to travel through the intersection or turn left.

The intersection eliminates a signal phase, resulting in significant time savings for motorists. Traffic analysis for Crosstown Parkway and Floresta Drive indicated the average delay time was eight times faster and the level of service is improved from ‘D’ to ‘A’ in the opening, and from ‘F’ to ‘C’ in the design year, when compared to a traditional four-leg intersection. Safety was also improved, reducing the conflict points from 32 to 14, and reducing the severity and frequency of vehicular crashes. Pedestrian safety was improved even more, with conflict points reduced from 24 to eight.