- April 18, 2024
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Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris. Photos by Zach Fedewa
Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris
Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris
Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris
Intersection of Clyde Morris and City Center
Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris
Riverwalk Park
Riverwalk Park
The road to be closed near Riverwalk Park
Intersection of Dunlawton and Clyde Morris
The project — which features a children’s splash park and play area, 12-foot wide multi-purpose trail, picnic pavilions, a new boardwalk, kayak, canoe and paddle board launch event lawn, concession stands and restroom facilities — was completed. The city hosted the park’s grand opening November 2017.
By Spring 2019, the city expects the project’s contractor to complete a 20-foot wide multi-purpose trail, along with associated improvements, such as landscaping, irrigation, utility and stormwater, within the Riverwalk area.
The area of Halifax Drive located between Ocean Avenue and the city’s Adult Annex building, and the portion of Ocean Avenue located between 112 Ocean Avenue and the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Halifax Drive, will be closed when construction begins.
Tim Burman, community development director for Port Orange, said there currently is no movement on the proposed condominiums and other commercial development.
The city completed landscaping within the medians from Dunlawton Avenue to the Rose Bay Bridge. The southern half of the project, from Fleming Avenue to Rose Bay, also included installation of irrigation in the medians. City gateway signs also were installed at the north and south boundary of the city limits on Ridgewood Avenue in 2017. The signs were designed with the same character and materials of the Interstate 95 Pavilion sign but scaled down to fit within the constraints of the Ridgewood right-of-way.
A Dunlawton Street Lighting project, which is ongoing, will remove all the walk lights along both sides of Dunlawton between Spruce Creek Road and Ridgewood. The city will replace them with new LED streetlights along this segment and at the Spruce Creek and Dunlawton and Dunlawton and Ridgewood intersections. Construction should begin in the fall.
Burman said the Florida Department of Transportation proposed a 12.5-mile multi-use trail along Halifax Drive, U.S. 1 or an alternative route from South Daytona to New Smyrna Beach. The trail, which is part of Florida's SUN Trail network, will be part of the East Coast Greenway and the 300-mile St. Johns River to Sea Loop that crosses five counties — Volusia, Brevard, Flagler, Putnam, St. Johns.
About three miles are located in Port Orange, and they will be "vital" in connecting the loop, said Heather Garcia, SUN Trail coordinator for the district. Within Port Orange, the trail would provide a safe area for residents to walk or bike along the Halifax River and expand opportunities for residents to access existing parks in Port Orange, South Daytona and New Smyrna Beach.
FDOT currently is funding and preparing a Project Development and Environment Study for the trail, and it will propose trail routes later this year, said Heather Grubert, FDOT project development engineer and manager. Once studies are complete, FDOT will accept public comment on proposed trails.
Trail ideas proposed in March included repurposing a portion of Halifax Drive as a one-way street to build the trail along the Halifax River between Riverwalk Park and Commonwealth Boulevard, Burman said. It would lead west along Commonwealth between Halifax and Spruce Creek, then south along Spruce Creek between Commonwealth and Nova Road. It also will lead southeast along Nova between Spruce Creek and Ridgewood, and south along U.S. 1 to New Smyrna Beach. The other route discussed was along Nova Road throughout Port Orange.
FDOT is considering all route options for the trail, but if using a portion of Halifax Drive is feasible and accepted by FDOT and the city, a southbound traffic lane will most likely be created, and residents would use side streets to access Ridgewood Avenue or to access Halifax Drive from Ridgewood Avenue, Burman said.
This project will add a westbound right turn lane on Dunlawton Avenue at the intersection with City Center Parkway to improve traffic flow and reduce delays for turning cars and thru traffic on Dunlawton. The project will add roadway capacity at the intersection and reduce delays for westbound Dunlawton Avenue cars turning right. Design plans should be completed in 2019.
A similar project will add a right turn lane on eastbound Dunlawton at the intersection with Clyde Morris Boulevard to improve traffic flow and reduce delays for turning vehicles and through vehicles. The project will add roadway capacity at the intersection and reduce delays for eastbound Dunlawton cars turning right. Design plans also should be completed in 2019.
A right turn lane on westbound Dunlawton at the intersection with Nova Road to add roadway capacity at the intersection, and reduce delays for westbound Dunlawton Avenue vehicles turning right. Design plans also should be completed in 2020.
The city will conduct a study to find ways to minimize traffic delays and eliminate or reduce crashes. Burman said the project also aims to improve sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians at the Taylor Road and Williamson Boulevard intersection and along the Taylor Road and Dunlawton Avenue corridor at I-95. Once the study is completed, the projects identified in the study will be eligible for future grants for design and construction funding.
Yorktowne Boulevard is a planned urban collector roadway extending from Hidden Lake Drive to Willow Run Boulevard, along with the widening of Willow Run from Yorktowne to Williamson Boulevard. The completion of Yorktowne Boulevard would provide an alternate route for cars to cross I-95, relieve some congestion at the I-95 and Dunlawton intersection, and reduce thru traffic off Hidden Lake, which runs through a residential neighborhood. Staff is currently working on preparing full roadway design plans.
An adaptive traffic signal system, which uses sensors along the corridor, will be installed along Dunlawton between A1A and Summer Trees Road, and it should be installed in 2020. Volusia County submitted for funding through the River To Sea TPO.
Lynn Stevens, public works and utilities director said the city is three areas affected by flooding, which is defined as having water inside a home, water levels that impede emergency vehicles and water that does not drain. Ponding, on the other hand, typically evacuates itself quickly, she said.
One project is the Virginia Avenue/Monroe Place Drainage project. It is located between Dunlawton Avenue to Fox Place and the Halifax River to the railroad tracks. The city is currently designing a system which will include securing property for man-made stormwater ponds to dispose of flood water. When designing any stormwater improvements, engineering staff evaluate flooding in the areas that have occurred in the past. They evaluate flood events from the past 25, 50, and 100 years and work to estimate the impacts of future events such as Hurricane Matthew and Irma.
The second project area is in the Sleepy Hollow subdivision located on Nova Road, south of Dunlawton Avenue. The city is finalizing a study of the current drainage system and future options to reduce flooding in the area.
Finally, the city is also addressing flooding issues near Howes Street and Orange Avenue. The area is currently serviced by a French drain system, which is made of underground pipes with holes that allows water to percolate back into the ground. However, when the ground is already saturated, the water has no other place to go. The project, currently being designed by city engineers, would replace it with a stormwater drainage system that will redirect excess water to the Halifax River.
