STUART, Fla. — Once again, the topic of concern on the Treasure Coast surrounds Brightline and its construction.
This time, the train is shutting down "Confusion Corner," an intersection at the heart of Stuart known for its chaotic convergence of seven roads, Flagler Avenue, East Ocean, West Ocean Blvd, Colorado Avenue, A1A North and South, and Dixie Highway, plus the railroad tracks on top of it.
"And that gets people confused," Stuart resident Chip Hazard said. "It's confusing, very confusing. Most people don't know which way they want to go."
He and many others told WPTV once Brightline closes the railroad tracks at Colorado and Southwest Ocean Avenues from May 30 at 7 a.m. to June 9 at 7 p.m., the closure will only compound those traffic headaches.
"Ugh. Gotta go through confusion corner," Hazard said.
Brightline spokeswoman Katie Mitzner said the work is to install pavers as part of the pedestrian crossing for that area.
Previously, Brightline closed that same area from July to August of 2022 to complete the majority of service on the additional track heading up north.
Stuart Troy McDonald said there's no question the closure will cause traffic headaches throughout the city, particularly for hospital workers going to and from work.
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"We do have to take that into consideration," McDonald said. "It is going to affect the intersection at Sailfish Circle. It's going to affect the intersections over here at Martin Luther King and Dixie Highway because everyone's going to try to get around this."
McDonald also said he believes the closure will drive down traffic for many of the local businesses surrounding "Confusion Corner," like Lisa Gay Fashion, a boutique adjacent to the intersection.
"I think it's probably going to affect all the retailers here because everybody depends on the customer coming in and being able to access the street," employee Mary O'Brien said, "and if that's being shut down, it's going to make it very difficult for people to find parking."
According to data from the Florida Department of Transportation, as many as 18,500 vehicles may travel through "Confusion Corner" on a given day.
"What are those cars going to do when you close off the road?" asked Jensen Beach resident Keith Moran.
Mitzner said Brightline already closed that area down once before for about a month from July to August of 2022 to complete the crux of the work for the additional railroad tracks heading north. She said the closure then went extremely smoothly and doesn't have any concerns about this time around, expecting it to go just as smoothly.
Hazard said he hopes that is the case, but plans to try to avoid the traffic in "Confusion Corner" altogether.
"It's gonna be interesting though," Hazard said. "I hope it's safe."
The full closure of the Colorado Avenue/Southwest Ocean Boulevard roundabout will run from 7 a.m. May 30 to 7 p.m. June 9.
Below is the full detour information:
- Northbound Colorado Avenue traffic will be directed to travel west on Fifth Street to Camden Avenue, travel north on Camden Avenue to Dixie Highway, travel north on Dixie Highway to St. Lucie Avenue and travel east on St. Lucie Avenue to Osceola Street
- Southbound Colorado Avenue traffic will be directed to travel west on Seminole St. to St. Lucie Avenue, travel west on St. Lucie Avenue to Akron Avenue, travel south on Akron Avenue to Fifth Street, travel east on Fifth Street to Camden Avenue and travel south on Camden Avenue to Sixth Street
- Eastbound Southeast Ocean Avenue traffic will be directed to travel north on Old Dixie Hwy. to St. Lucie Avenue and travel east on St. Lucie Avenue to Osceola Street
- Westbound Southeast Ocean Avenue traffic will be directed to travel north on Denver Avenue to Osceola Street, travel west on Osceola Street to Colorado Avenue, travel north on Colorado Avenue to Seminole Street, travel west on Seminole Street to St. Lucie Avenue and travel west on St. Lucie Avenue to Akron Avenue