Port truck study meets resistance over neighborhood routes; OHPA favors better signs

Suggestion of removal of the barrier at Calhoun Street to allow truck traffic was dismissed.

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH - The Ocean Highway and Port Authority on Wednesday favored improved truck route signs, corrected GPS directions and better driver education over two proposals that could change truck traffic patterns around the Port of Fernandina.

Opening a section of Calhoun Street to truck traffic and constructing a staging area near the WestRock mill drew opposition during a presentation of a traffic study commissioned through the North Florida Transportation Planning Organization (TPO).

Commissioners and residents questioned whether the more expensive proposals would solve existing problems or create new ones in neighborhoods already affected by tractor-trailers traveling to and from the port.

The discussion followed an earlier Fernandina Observer report on the study, which documented longstanding neighborhood complaints about trucks traveling on residential streets, blocking intersections and struggling to turn around after missing the port entrance.

Consultant Martha Moore told commissioners that the problem is not the volume of traffic but the movement of trucks through streets shared by industrial operations, homes, churches and businesses.

The study found approximately 3,300 vehicles travel Eighth Street daily, compared with about 700 on Dade Street. Both roads operate well below their traffic capacity, according to Florida Department of Transportation data presented by Moore.

"Capacity is not an issue. It's just more really circulation and operations," Moore said.

The removal of the Escambia Street bridge in 2024 eliminated a route trucks previously used to circulate away from the port. Drivers who arrive early or are turned away at the port gate now have few options for returning to designated truck routes without backing up or entering residential streets.

One of the study's recommendations called for partially removing the barrier wall on Calhoun Street to create a one-block truck circulation route.

Under the proposal, trucks unable to enter the port could travel along Second Street, turn onto Calhoun Street and return to Dade Street using North Third Street.

Moore said the change would provide an alternative to the difficult backing maneuvers that sometimes occur near the port entrance.

But OHPA Commissioner Miriam Hill opposed extending truck circulation into residential neighborhoods.

"I think expanding the circulation route within residential areas is not the right response at this time," Hill said.

Hill also questioned whether opening the route would create conflicts with the city and residents who have sought to keep heavy trucks on designated routes.

North Third Street resident Bob Virtue told commissioners the proposal failed to adequately account for traffic associated with St. Michael Academy.

The school's morning drop-off and afternoon pickup lines extend along Third Street and sometimes onto Dade Street, he said. Virtue also questioned whether large trucks could safely negotiate the turns required by the proposed circulation route.

He pointed out that one of the study's traffic observation dates coincided with a school holiday, potentially understating congestion during normal school operations.

"I encourage the board to consider anything that would keep trucks out of their residential neighborhoods," Virtue said.

Another Third Street resident, Tammi Kosack, warned that opening the barrier could encourage drivers to continue through the neighborhood rather than follow the proposed circulation route.

Kosack cited low-hanging trees, inadequate turning radii, deteriorating pavement and underground infrastructure, and the absence of sidewalks and curbs along portions of Third Street.

She said the wall was originally intended to separate port operations from the surrounding neighborhood.

"We're just creating a much bigger problem than we're trying to solve," Kosack said.

No vote was taken to reject the Calhoun Street proposal, but commissioners did not advance it as an immediate solution.

The study also recommended considering a truck staging area near Eighth and Escambia streets on property associated with the WestRock mill.

The conceptual design could accommodate approximately six tractor-trailers, depending on the available land and wetland constraints.

The location would allow trucks to wait for scheduled port appointments without occupying residential streets. But the proposal would require coordination with the mill, the city and potentially other agencies, along with construction and permitting expenses.

Kosack questioned whether the staging facility was necessary, given improvements in the port's truck scheduling and the potential expense of developing the site.

"The heavy tree canopy, it's expensive. It requires a lot of buy-in from West Rock, and it creates another bottleneck in that area," she said.

The study also examined allowing trucks to wait along Franklin Street near the mill, where trucks already stage occasionally.

That option faces a separate obstacle. A Nassau County ordinance restricts truck traffic on a portion of 14th Street between Atlantic Avenue and Amelia Island Parkway to local deliveries. Using Franklin Street as a circulation and staging route would require resolving that restriction with the county.

Moore's traffic observations found that the two or three informal waiting locations along Dade Street were frequently empty and rarely occupied by more than two trucks.

Those locations are not designated truck parking spaces, and signs along Dade Street restrict parking and standing.

Relay Terminals representatives said the port's appointment system has substantially reduced truck backups and that drivers generally move through the gates quickly.

The findings prompted questions about whether a new staging facility would justify its cost.

However, OHPA Chairman Ray Nelson suggested another possibility: using the existing CTS yard for commercial truck parking.

Nelson said he had been contacted by a company that arranges parking for trucks waiting to enter terminals. Under such a system, drivers would pay to park at an off-site facility and receive notification when the port was ready for them.

"If we want to get to the root of this problem, you've got the property already," Nelson said, referring to the CTS yard.

Relay Terminals President Ted McNair said the operator was already considering an offer involving that type of service.

The discussion distinguished the proposed construction of a new staging facility near the mill from the possibility of using existing property to accommodate waiting trucks.

No decision was announced on the CTS yard proposal.

The strongest agreement among commissioners, the consultant and residents centered on improving truck route signs and correcting electronic navigation directions.

Moore estimated the cost of replacing and adding signs at approximately $13,000 to $15,000.

Recommendations include a larger Port of Fernandina sign on Eighth Street, clearer directions to the port entrance, additional truck restriction signs and removal or replacement of signs that are difficult to see or no longer useful.

Moore showed examples of signs obscured by vegetation or deteriorating reflective surfaces.

The study also found that entering the port's address into electronic mapping applications can direct drivers toward a warehouse rather than the designated truck entrance.

Navigation systems may then route unfamiliar drivers through Centre Street or other roads unsuitable for large tractor-trailers.

Moore recommended working with the city and port operator to correct the port's location in Google Maps, Waze and other navigation systems and update commercial vehicle routing information.

Kosack supported those changes but cautioned against simply adding more signs to an already cluttered streetscape.

"There's so many signs. You're missing probably some important signs," she said.

Kosack offered to help coordinate the effort to correct the port's electronic location and improve the signs.

OHPA Commissioner Justin Taylor supported beginning with changes that could be implemented relatively quickly.

"I think it's looking for the easy, quicker fix," Taylor said. "Work with the city to adjust the pin. That's something that I think we can get on pretty quick."

The consultant said the signage changes could help keep drivers on the designated route along Eighth and Dade streets without requiring major construction.

Nelson said the most troublesome incidents involve long-distance drivers unfamiliar with Fernandina Beach and the limited space available for maneuvering large trucks near the port.

"I've got videos stacked up of trucks in places that I would never thought they could have gotten," Nelson said.

He described receiving complaints, photographs and videos from residents about trucks backing across roads, entering yards and attempting turns that their vehicles could not complete.

Nelson said local drivers generally know the restrictions, while drivers arriving from other states may expect the port to have the wider roads and larger truck facilities found at major commercial ports.

The resulting confusion can create dangerous situations for drivers, residents and anyone attempting to help maneuver a tractor-trailer out of a residential street.

The port operates an appointment system between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m., with trucks assigned 30-minute arrival windows.

But appointments are generally arranged by dispatchers rather than individual drivers, complicating efforts to communicate arrival instructions directly to the person behind the wheel.

Hill suggested exploring electronic notifications that would tell drivers when their appointment windows were approaching.

Relay Terminals representatives said the trucking industry's system of customers, brokers, dispatchers and individual drivers could make direct communication difficult.

McNair also questioned whether drivers would consistently use another mobile application.

Moore suggested a simpler alternative: an electronic sign at the port entrance showing which appointments were currently being served.

Port representatives said employees already receive instructions to help drivers who arrive early or become confused about the designated routes.

Kosack credited Relay Terminals with substantial improvements in managing truck arrivals.

She recalled trucks lining up outside the port in the early morning hours before changes to the scheduling system reduced the problem.

"So thank you for getting the scheduling addressed. And the stacking has not been bad at all," she said.

Hill asked that the board's discussion and residents' comments be incorporated into the final version of the study.

She said the recommendations should account for the community's opposition to expanding truck traffic into residential areas.

The TPO representative explained that transportation studies can identify projects eligible for consideration in regional and state funding programs, although not every recommendation proceeds to construction.

Wednesday's meeting produced no formal vote eliminating the Calhoun Street or WestRock staging proposals, and no funding was approved for the recommended improvements.

The next steps discussed involve coordinating with the city, port operator and transportation agencies to improve signage and electronic directions, while incorporating the commissioners' and residents' comments into the final study.