MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Drivers who travel Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike north of Jupiter into the Treasure Coast have felt the frustration of growth and at times gridlock.
"Every year, you know, you can see that the census is increasing, you know there's more traffic on the road," Stuart resident Gene Reece said.
"It's terrible first thing in the morning. I actually leave earlier so I can avoid all that traffic because traffic is basically [at a] standstill from Jupiter heading north to Stuart," Jupiter resident George Melit said.
But help for commuters is in the works.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is trying to ease traffic at the Indiantown Road and Martin Highway interchanges. They are conducting a study to consider the addition of a new interchange near Bridge Road in Hobe Sound.
"The Turnpike enterprise has come up with two preferred concepts and those concepts are ways to move between I-95 and the Turnpike without having to get off on any local roads," Martin County Public Works Director Jim Gorton explained.
The numbers support that need. According to FDOT, the annual average daily traffic near Bridge Road, where the interchange is proposed, is 56,000 trips on the Turnpike and up to 111,500 trips on I-95.
"The biggest benefit would happen down in Jupiter on Indiantown Road where it looks like they'll reduce traffic," Gorton said. "The annual daily traffic would go down by over 6,000 vehicles per day."
Before moving forward, FDOT is looking to get the community's input at public meetings July 17-18.
Many drivers in Martin County said they'd welcome a new solution.
"I do prefer a more rustic setting, but that's going away, so why add to the frustration while sitting in traffic any longer than you have to," Reece said.
"Anything that will help people get to home and work faster, I'm all for it," Indiantown resident Gregory Howard added, "but if it's not going to help, then I'm against it."
The project is still in the early stages. Martin County explained it could be another 10 years before the interchange is complete.
