Small changes ease Maitland traffic woes

Maitland city staff fielded a flock of citizens’ complaints about the state of traffic in downtown Maitland last week as construction continues at the intersection of Horatio Avenue and U.S. Highway 17-92.

The planned traffic patterns are already set in stone, but small changes to help drivers navigate the area until construction is completed in mid- to late- January 2014 are in the works, said city transportation engineer Charlie Wallace.

Most of those changes involve adjusting traffic signal timing, as the city works to reevaluate light times to better flow traffic.

Since the first complaints about ongoing backups and impeded access to Publix and other area shops started rolling in in late-November, Sybelia Parkway has been reopened for two-way access to the Publix plaza, and additional signage was installed to direct drivers to entrances.

“We’ll continue to tweak what we need to until the project is done,” Wallace said.

In the end, once the new traffic pattern is paved onto asphalt, Wallace said he still believes Maitland drivers will be better off than they were before.

“If we can get the cut-through traffic diverted, it’ll help out citizens … and cut some of the traffic,” he said.