Scenic 30A and 395 Intersection in Seagrove Beach

July 4

Very good point that the cops would be needed for traffic control at a time when they are not being active in the schools.

Skunky tells it like it is. This boondoggle smacks of money more than it reeks of ignorance. The people that are ram-rodding this are gonna make some money. All of this is being condoned by a bunch of people who have probably not driven through this intersection twenty times in their whole lives...

I'm sure a lot of tourists will be delighted at the traffic baked up at this intersection on Memorial Day weekend.

I wish we had engineers that were very experienced working on innovative solutions. It's not that complicated. Most people are turning north to publix and 98 or continuing thought to Seaside. The road through Seaside itself needs some re-engineering.

The first thing that is glaring is that the bike path should be on the south side which would solve half the problems and make it so much safer. Half the congestion there is due to pedestrians and bikes. Move the path to the south side - most of problem solved!!!

IMO it is ludicrous for the bike path to be on the north side. No conversation should start without first stipulating that the bike path is going to be moved to the south side. This would also eliminate the crossover that is east of the intersection. The crossover itself causes problems and is dangerous. Move the path to the south side and the crossover could then be installed at the stop sign in seaside where cars are already stopped.

Ebsco owns the NE corner. The owners of EBSCO have a house on the south side of 30A just east of the intersection. That is why they don't want the bike path on the south side.

The family is also part owners of Viridian Hotel and have always planned to bury the utilities but would have to pay $100,000 to regional utilities for the work. This work should be done at no cost all along 30a but that is another story!

Ebsco is willing to swap some of the corner lot to the county. Swap for what?

Any alteration of the intersection would require burying the utilities - just look at the giant concrete power pole on the NE corner. So a roundabout rewuires burying utilities and EBSCO avoids paying the cost.

Starting to get the picture? A simple turn lane is really all the is needed but that would probably not cause utilitites to be buried and would make it to far a distance for the bike path to cross. A circle means two lanes would need to be crossed which is the way it is now. A turn lane or yield lane that gently curved and made it a smooth running intersection would require 3 lanes.

The best solution for the people is for the county to take most of the vacant lot and install a very large roundabout or a gently curving yield lane! EBSCO gives up enough land to make it happen, with enough land left to add some parking for their hotel and restaurant, the utilities get buried. Move the path to the south side for safety and to alleviate congestion. WIN WIN WIN!!!

Whose land are they going to build the roundabout on?

A light would be fine. You still "sit and fume" on 30-A, currently during busy times.

I love that video clip. Breaking out the Windows95 Powerpoint.

Who approved and paid for the lights at Rosemary Beach? The traffic lights there seem to work. And there are also lots of bikes and pedestrians.

I remember Rosemary Beach lights were a shock - they weren't really needed but I think the founders wanted to stop traffic. They still aren't really needed except for the fact that they made the intersection overly complicated and big.

The 395 issue is not that big a deal! A west bound turn lane with a little curve and a yield sign will work for now. And it would fit on public right of way. Seems like common sense!
Does anyone disagree?

It's a bit more complex than that. I think the turn lane would help only if the bike path was moved to the south side of 30-A, which is a complex issue. My opinion is that if the bike path was moved to the south side, it should not take any more property from the owners of the south side. Many of these owners are the "founding fathers" of Seagrove. All of them took tremendous hits to their property during Ivan and Dennis. They don't deserve to be penalized for the convenience of tourists.

The stretch of 30-A from Cowgirl Kitchen to Seaside should be shifted enough north to put the bike path on south side. Problem solved.

Most of the properties south of 30a are rentals or have been sold and resold Founding fathers of Seagrove are not the issue.

Where is the right-of-way for 30a located? If people planned or built their homes and driveways by infringing on the right of way I don't have sympathy for them.

I am all for moving the path and adding a turn lane, it seems like the easiest and most logical solution.

I own a home at Seagrove Beach. I simply don't understand objections to a traffic light. I can't wait until Memorial Day weekend and the next three months. The traffic will be worse than if they had a three way stop or roundabout at the intersection of 98 and 331. These days when I must go to Seagrove, I often leave and go out heading east on 30a and cut through Camp Creek road to avoid the three way. Whoever proposed and or approved a roundabout are morons! If I were a tourist, I'd avoid Seagrove Beach and find a place on the beach easier to get in and out of.

I own a home at Seagrove Beach. I simply don't understand objections to a traffic light. I can't wait until Memorial Day weekend and the next three months. The traffic will be worse than if they had a three way stop or roundabout at the intersection of 98 and 331. These days when I must go to Seagrove, I often leave and go out heading east on 30a and cut through Camp Creek road to avoid the three way. Whoever proposed and or approved a roundabout are morons! If I were a tourist, I'd avoid Seagrove Beach and find a place on the beach easier to get in and out of.

Ditto.

The person that posted the link to the video added some very helpful information. Due south of the V Restaurant is a house. East of it is another house that just sold. Then, there are 5 houses in a row that belong to various members of an extended family. Then, the parcel north of 30-A from those 5 houses is owned by a family company run by the same family as the houses south of 30-A. Coincidentally, that is the company doing Alys Beach. They also own the NE corner lot at 395 and 30-A. They want a stop sign, and they are willing to give up a lot of land to do it.

A roundabout is dumb. Ain't nobody got time for that! I like Europe as much as the next guy. But, people from Atlanta don't know how to drive on a roundabout.

If there is a traffic light, it can go to blinking yellow and blinking red in the winter, and late nights.

BeachRob, did you catch the bit when the traffic engineer stated the roundabout will eventually fail as we approach build out and a light will be required then anyway?

BeachRob, did you catch the bit when the traffic engineer stated the roundabout will eventually fail as we approach build out and a light will be required then anyway?

Yeah. I heard that.

I also am still puzzled how a traffic light is $400,000 more expensive than a roundabout. It doesn't cost half a million dollars to put in a traffic light. And the Stephens/Dixons are basically gifting the land.

I was a little troubled by the way our council member handled the situation. I feel we need to be a little more composed; especially if we are going to be the "enlightened" part of the county.

I would expect the signal to be more expensive - the signal itself and the utility work I guess, but 400K does seem like a lot.

I can't believe this county would allow the fire dept. to stage their boot collection campaign this week-end!! How stupid is that. Took my wife nearly 45 minutes to go from Camp Creek Lake ( home ) to the 395/30a intersection this morning. Needless to say she will be very late opening the gallery in Seaside, for which I'm sure she will take some grief from tourists. With all the complaints about this intersection recently this makes no sense.

Too many people on too narrow of a road. But the TDC will figure out ways to bring in more people. Need balance between tourists needed to support businesses and quality of life for locals. With how small the 395/30a area is, I can't say with any confidence there is a great solution.

There's already a flashing red light at the intersection. Why not replace it with a plain old red/green light? That's too simple for a bunch of idiots I suppose.

I thought that too at first, but the explanation was, I think, that they would have to add turn lanes to the intersection with a red/yellow/green light because traffic would be moving through the intersection faster on the green light than it is doing now with the three-way stop.

Really need to find a way to get the bicycles to stop at the intersection. They just blow through assuming folks see them. As careful as I try to be, some clown always seems to test my reaction time.

I thought that too at first, but the explanation was, I think, that they would have to add turn lanes to the intersection with a red/yellow/green light because traffic would be moving through the intersection faster on the green light than it is doing now with the three-way stop.

We need a turn lane when the speed limit is so low?

I think we need some better traffic planning advice, this cannot be the first time in history that such a situation has needed a solution.

Why do we always need to reinvent the wheel instead of finding examples of successful solutions elsewhere and copying them?

This is the core problem. You would think that maybe they could pick up the phone and call somebody knowledgeable at Florida Department of Transportation for a little advice, but the goonies try to figure it out themselves... We can chit and chat about this ad infinitum, but I've been told this roundabout is a done deal.

I've decided the solution for me is to just avoid going to Seagrove/Seaside altogether. I plan to sell my place there so I won't be bothered with it. Hopefully, I can get at least what I paid for it. After more than 20 years I'm ready to move on.

I've decided the solution for me is to just avoid going to Seagrove/Seaside altogether. I plan to sell my place there so I won't be bothered with it. Hopefully, I can get at least what I paid for it. After more than 20 years I'm ready to move on.

Have you listed your place. I have a lot in Seagrove but interested in buying??

Here's something useful. NC State did a statistical study of American linguistic tendencies, and plotted them on a US map.

Here is "Roundabout":

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-m...s-in-america-2013-6#so-are-traffic-circles-13

Here is "Highway":

http://www.businessinsider.com/22-m...e-west-coast-is-really-into-their-freeways-18


Notice how light the Roundabout map is. One of the responses is "I have no word for this." Memphis/Tupelo/Huntsville is distinctly green. The rest of our feeder markets have light shaded blue or red because there was no clear response between the 3 replies.

They say the eskimos have 50 words for snow. I'd be willing to bet there were no words for snow in Caribbean indigenous languages. Which culture would you say is better at building an igloo?

There... I fixed it.