Port St. Lucie - Tuesday August 1, 2023: The City of Port St. Lucie will reopen Floresta Drive Friday, August 4, at 5 p.m. from Port St. Lucie Boulevard to Thornhill Drive.
Floresta Drive was closed for the construction of a new bridge over the Elkcam Waterway as part of the Floresta Drive Phase 2 Improvement Project. The new bridge:
• Eases congestion with 11-foot travel lanes
• Improves safety with a median separator, shoulder and pedestrian railings
• Allows for pedestrian and bicycle access with 6-foot sidewalks and bicycle lanes on both sides of the roadway
• Improves connectivity for the Floresta Drive Neighborhood
While the roadway was closed for bridge construction, the contractor also completed underground and roadway activities north of the bridge to Polynesian Avenue. A new roundabout was installed at the intersection of Floresta Drive and Polynesian Avenue. The roundabout provides a circular configuration that safely and efficiently moves traffic. Roundabouts are used throughout the City to help reduce delay and lower vehicle speed and promote safety with the reduction in fatal and injury crashes.
Construction activities will continue on the Floresta Drive Phase 2 Project from the Elkcam Waterway to Crosstown Parkway. The Phase 2 Floresta Drive Improvement Project is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2024. The City urges drivers to be vigilant, patient and slow down while driving through the construction zone.
Near Floresta Elementary School, from Damask Avenue to Walters Terrace, the contractor is currently working on the oval-about, which is a stretched-out roundabout. Commuters will no longer be able to park on Floresta Drive due to construction activities and shifts in traffic. The contractor is also installing a new sidewalk, curb and gutter that will prevent future parking on the main Floresta Drive roadway. Drivers can expect detours and closures of side streets as work continues. Upcoming closures include Damask Avenue, Streamlet Avenue, Starflower Avenue, Howe Avenue and Sweetbay Avenue. The City urges drivers to please follow the appropriate detour signage.
About the Floresta Drive Corridor Improvement Project:
The Floresta Drive Corridor Improvement Project provides a two-lane roadway with landscaping, lighting, sidewalks and bicycle lanes. Improvements to the corridor will help with future projected traffic volumes while helping preserve the local neighborhood.
The project will improve safety, enhance pedestrian and bicycle movements, alleviate congestion and provide more efficient traffic flow. This project is possible thanks to the voters of St. Lucie County and the City of Port St. Lucie for approving a Half-Cent Sales Tax referendum in November 2018.
For more information, visit www.cityofpsl.com/floresta.