Sandspur study ready for vote

The results of the Florida Department of Transportation’s traffic study of possible changes to the Sandspur Road/Maitland Boulevard interchange are in, and now it’s up to Maitland Transportation Advisory Board members to vote for which option they want at a special Board meeting Thursday, Aug. 22.

To read the full results of the traffic study, visit tinyurl.com/Sandspur

In trying to work out a way not to close the Sandspur Road ramp entering Maitland Boulevard or – if necessary – compensate for its closure, the city challenged FDOT to study alternative options including keeping the ramp open or adding one-way thru-traffic on privately owned Concourse Parkway.

Traffic flow changes anticipated on Sandspur Road, Hope Road and Concourse Parkway were documented for each study alternative. If current plans were to stay as is – closing the Sandspur ramp and diverting traffic to turn left on Hope Road – the study says traffic would increase by 61 percent on Hope Road and up to 21 percent on Sandspur Road.

The City Council will need to give final approval to the Transportation Advisory Board’s recommendations at its Aug. 26 meeting to meet FDOT’s funding deadline of Sept. 1.