STEPPING UP SAFETY
Five-year contract paves path for multiple sidewalk and trail projects in northeastern Florida
By Jennifer Schmidt
All too often , a dangerous scenario plays out in certain Florida counties . With no sidewalk available , pedestrians set out on the grassy side of the road en route to their destinations – but when they encounter a wet patch of grass or muddy section , they step onto the pavement to continue their journeys .
The situation weighs heavily on the minds of transportation officials like Barney Bennette , transportation planning manager at the Florida Department of Transportation ’ s District 2 , who is determined to turn around the unsettling statistic ranking Florida highest in the country for pedestrian fatalities .
“ When we go out and look at projects , there ’ s been any number of occasions where the pedestrians or bicyclists are in the road or immediately adjacent to the travel lane on the shoulder . That ’ s quite common on most of these projects ,” said Bennette , noting how speed limits in these sections range from 25 mph on residential streets to 65 mph on principal arterial roads .
TAKING ACTION
In 2012 , FDOT ’ s District 2 awarded Ayres Associates a five-year contract to provide design engineering services for various trail and sidewalk enhancement projects along state and county roads within the District . To date , 26 task orders have been issued , some in urban areas and others in remote , rural sections of the district , but all based on need and all presenting a unique set of challenges .
“ They ’ re locally driven projects where the local agency contacts us and wants to put these in ,” Bennette said . “ Every year , the counties submit a prioritized list of projects for bike paths and sidewalks , and that ’ s what we use to select projects off of .”
The first contract involved designing a 5-foot-wide sidewalk along the south side of County Road 18 from Southwest 80th Place to State Road 200 / U . S . Highway 301 near Hampton Lake in Bradford County . Some residents in the lakefront community supported the sidewalk project while others opposed it . Those against the sidewalk ’ s installation believed they owned the land all the way up to the pavement , “ where , in reality , it ’ s a road right-of-way , and that ’ s usually
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