The city of Sanford responded Tuesday to complaints from citizens about increased traffic resulting from reconstruction along Sanford Avenue. (“Around The Clock: More bumbling from City Hall?”)
City officials announced that Palmetto Avenue will be one-way from 3rd to 7th streets for SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC to relieve congestion on the residential street that is prone to slowdowns at most times. Residents park cars on both sides of the street, funneling drivers through a space wide enough for a single vehicle.
Sanford Avenue is currently undergoing a $2.5 million renovation to replace infrastructure, widen sidewalks and upgrade landscaping and street lighting.
On March 3, the city closed Sanford Avenue for up to four months and rerouted traffic to parallel streets Cypress and Palmetto avenues. However, traffic along Palmetto Avenue increased significantly, frustrating residents and drivers alike.
City officials had discussed banning parking on one side of the street to improve traffic flow, but ultimately decided limiting that portion of Palmetto to southbound traffic only was the best solution.
Addition directional signs have been erected, and the Sanford Police Department has traffic patrols in the area to ticket motorists who fail to abide by the detours.
— By Dan Ping
Sanford, Fla. 