ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — As St. Lucie County's population continues to grow, officials are looking at widening a road that currently has only one lane in each direction.
The county is considering widening and reconstructing a 10-mile segment of Glades Cut Off Road/County Road 709 from Range Line Road to Selvitz Road.
WATCH BELOW: Project would widen Glades Cut Off Road to 4 lanes in St. Lucie Co.
St. Lucie County said widening the road will enhance safety and also accommodate the growing traffic volumes for the anticipated growth over the next two decades.
The current Project Development & Environment (PD&E) study is the second phase of the project development process.
"Each PD&E study requires the combined efforts of professional engineers, planners, and scientists, to collect data, develop and evaluate alternatives, conduct studies, prepare reports, and gather input from the public, applicable agencies, and interested parties," according to the website dedicated to the project.
Two options are currently being evaluated for the project and are being presented this evening. Both options include widening the road to four lanes (two in each direction).
The first option includes bike lanes, and the second alternative is with no bike lanes. Both options include a 12-foot shared-use path.
The option with bike lanes would have a 7-foot bicycle lane in each direction.
As part of the study, all intersections within the project limits will also be evaluated.
WHAT ARE RESIDENTS SAYING?
WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield spoke to residents on Tuesday to get their thoughts.
Jennene Jones said the road widening is necessary.
"There's a bottleneck midday and in the morning, so it might alleviate that," Jones said.
Juan Hache said the current traffic on the road makes it difficult to leave his development.
"I live in Cooper Creek, it's terrible, terrible," Hache said. "You need five eyes to get out of that intersection."
Both virtual and in-person workshops were held on Tuesday regarding the project with St. Lucie County Public Works staff presenting the study to neighbors.
St. Lucie County Communications Director Erick Gill said the project has been on their radar because of new development coming to the western part of the county.
"We want to make sure we're planning for the future, the roadways and infrastructure, to handle that growth," Gill said.
Port St. Lucie police said that since 2020, there have been 48 crashes on the 10-mile stretch of Glades Cut Off Road.
"The more lanes you have ... with bike paths and pedestrians ... the safer we can keep our roads and roadways ... reduce congestion and aggravation among aggressive drivers," Gill said.
Jones likes the widening but isn't on board with the bike lanes.
"We have a lot of trucks in this area. It doesn't seem safe to me," Jones said.
But Hache thinks it could fit into the growing city.
"Everything in the city is updated. It's better for the people," Hache said.
The county will take public input and conduct traffic studies on the project before sending it to the county commission for approval.
A public hearing is tentatively scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.
