St. Lucie County - Monday May 22, 2023: Effective this coming Friday, May 26, the speed limit on Indian River Drive is decreasing to 25 mph.
St. Lucie County Commissioners unanimously approved lowering the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph after several years of traffic studies and a history of fatal accidents that have occurred on the 14-mile stretch of road. The change is supported by the county’s commitment to the Florida Department of Transportation’s statewide “Target Zero” initiative for implementing evolutionary steps towards making our roadway network safer with a goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries on Florida’s roads.
Part of the Florida Department of Transportation’s Florida Scenic Highways Program, Indian River Drive is a north-south corridor with narrow rights-of-way, curves and varying levels of elevation that run alongside the Indian River Lagoon. Over the past three years, St. Lucie County Commissioners have made additional enhancements to the road to increase safety, including dynamic speed signs that note when motorists are exceeding the speed limit, double striping the pavement to prohibit passing and installing three-way stops at the three intersections on the road. Even with these improvements, speeding and accidents continue to be an issue, prompting St. Lucie County Commissioners to lower the speed limit from 35 mph to 25 mph, effective Friday, May 26.
St. Lucie County’s Public Works Department has begun placing message boards informing drivers about the speed limit change, as well as installing/replacing the more than 60 speed limit signs, which will be covered until the new speed limit is in effect.