Amelia Island Gridlock: Parkway Closure Sparks Island-Wide Traffic Nightmare

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH - Every morning and late afternoon Krissi Barr watches from her third-floor perch as the intersection of Bill Melton Road and Fletcher Avenue becomes clogged with traffic and impatient drivers throw caution to the wind.

Some cars drive on her lawn on Bill Melton to bypass those in front of them to jockey into better position. During rush hour, other lean on their car's horns, frustrated by the snail's pace of backlogged vehicles.

"It's like living in downtown Manhattan. The horns blare at all hours of the day," Barr commented as she watched the daily maneuvering from her balcony on Friday.

Other drivers screamed insults at her as they pass by her home.

The situation is so perilous, that Barr has taken to carrying a handheld "stop sign" like a school crossing guard when she walks across Fletcher Avenue to the beach.

"My friends think I'm crazy," she admits. "But I'm not taking any chances."

The closure of Amelia Island Parkway by the city airport during construction of the Buccaneer Trail roundabout has put all north/south traffic onto Fletcher Avenue. Drivers trying to avoid the re-routing are using Bill Melton/Via Del Ray Road to cut through to Amelia Island Parkway in an effort to save time.

The disruption to daily traffic has impacted the entire island.

Stalled traffic on Scott Road

"The incompetence of Nassau County capital projects and their decision to shut down all roads on the southside of the island on full display!," wrote Jeremy Hester on Facebnook, posting a photo of a jammed Scott Road Friday afternoon. "This has to end!"

Tyler Kane responded "It’s honestly very, very simple. The people in charge of making the decision to have all this construction done during the island's busy season do not live here and don’t have to drive through all this road work. They don’t get inconvenienced by it at all so they literally do not care at all about how it affects the people that live here. No one ever cares about a problem as long as it doesn’t affect them personally."

A 10-minute commute from her home at Parkside North near the city airport to the YMCA off of Citrona now takes Shari Roan 30 minutes. Thursday at 9:30 a.m. traveling north via Fletcher, Roan encountered garbage pickup day and was stuck behind a Waste Management collection truck.

"Of course, it stopped at every house which meant all traffic halted behind it," she said. "It's the same with post office delivery. It's insane."

Fernandina Beach City Manager Sarah Campbell said the city had requested that Waste Management conduct garbage collection early on Wednesdays to avoid peak hour delays.

Obviously, that didn't happen last Thursday.

Nassau County and City officials admit they were unprepared for the traffic delays when Amelia Island Parkway was closed on March 25.

The first problem was the traffic light at Amelia Island Parkway and South Fletcher Avenue, which had not been adjusted to handle the increased north and south traffic on Fletcher. The result was traffic at a standstill, especially on the south end of the island.

Another unconsidered factor was drivers using Scott Road eastbound to connect with Amelia Island Parkway past the Ritz Carlton to Fletcher in order to bypass the roundabout at Buccaneer Trial by Harris Teeter.

But even initial adjustments haven't solved the problem.

Days later Nassau County issued an updated traffic advisory stating: "Nassau County is committed to keeping traffic moving as safely and efficiently as possible during construction.

Additional detour signage will be installed at the AIP/Fletcher intersection and at Bill Melton/Fletcher to better guide motorists to continue along the planned detour route.

Important guidance for northbound drivers:

Please do not use Bill Melton from Fletcher unless you are local traffic only. For example, if you are visiting the Fernandina Beach Municipal Golf Course or live/work in the Via Del Rey/Bill Melton/1st Avenue area.

For through traffic, please continue along Fletcher to the Sadler Road roundabout as the primary detour route. If your trip qualifies as local traffic near Simmons Road, that route may also apply."

But those measures have not provided solutions to the delays caused by the closure.

"Twenty-five minutes from Harris Teeter to the light at the parkway by the Ritz with Fletcher backed up as far as we can see. This is ridiculous!!!!," Susie Sanders Birdwell reported on Friday in a post that drew 70 comments detailing other commuters' frustrations with delays.

Barr reported that it took more than 30 minutes for friends to go six miles from their home in Long Point to her house at Bill Melton at 4 p.m.

"And that's not during crunch time," she said.

When asked about what changes the county planned to ease congestion, Communications Officer Sabrina Robertson said "Please note that traffic counters were put in place at the beginning of the week, with the intention to make adjustments to the traffic light at South Fletcher and Buccaneer Trail. Those are being removed today. Based on the data collected, additional adjustments may be made as needed.

"We want our residents to know that we are actively monitoring conditions, listening to your feedback, and making real-time adjustments to improve traffic flow and safety. Thank you for your patience, cooperation, and understanding as we move this project forward for the long-term benefit of our community."