STUART, Fla. — Traffic remains steady at the intersection of Palm City Road and U.S. Highway 1, a common cut-through for drivers looking to avoid congestion on the main highway.
Residents living nearby say the area has become increasingly difficult to navigate due to speeding and heavy traffic—especially during peak hours.
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“And it gets much worse at rush hour,” said Carl Thillberg, a Stuart resident who lives just off Palm City Road.
Thillberg says the residential street is often used as an alternative to U.S. Highway 1, with drivers frequently exceeding the posted speed limit.
“I have people, they actually pass us on the road when we’re doing 25,” he said.
In response to ongoing concerns, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recently presented a proposal to the City of Stuart to help calm traffic in the area. At Tuesday’s City Commission meeting, the agency proposed a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Palm City Road and US-1.
“People use Palm City Road right now, or make that right, right now, because it’s a fast way—an easy way to get somewhere,” said a representative with the Martin County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). “If it slows them down and they have an opportunity to go up to Kanner Highway and that can be a quicker trip, that’s probably what they’re going to do.”
FDOT said in a statement that previous efforts to reduce speeding included installing rumble strips on southbound traffic lanes. However, the agency noted that “the City has communicated that the traffic speeding still persists.”
Stuart Mayor Campbell Rich also acknowledged the issue.
“Cars just are traveling—they come down U.S. 1 off the bridge, and if they don’t hit the lights, they can get onto Palm City Road at a very high rate of speed,” Rich said.
FDOT says the proposed roundabout would not move into the design phase until 2031 at the earliest. They estimate this concept will cost $1.6 million.
In the meantime, City Commissioners have requested that FDOT do additional public workshops to inform residents of the new concept and gather more input.
“These are very data-based decisions, and so I’m confident that this will be effective,” said Rich.
Some residents, however, remain unsure about the roundabout’s effectiveness.
“It will slow them down right at the traffic circle, but it’s not going to slow them down here,” Thillberg said.
FDOT hopes to slow traffic, while residents want lasting relief, but whether the plan can deliver both remains to be seen.
To learn more about the proposal, click here.
