JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Traffic issues are plaguing a newer development in Jacksonville near the St. Johns County line.
Residents in the Wells Creek subdivision said it can take them more than a half hour to leave the community during peak hours.
They said the problem is they have no traffic light to help them enter or exit their community.
They say there are constant crashes in the area and they hope a traffic light will solve that problem.
Hector Torres calls it a daily headache.
He said fighting the traffic to exit the Wells Creek area can take more than 30 minutes and is longer now that school is back in session.
This subdivision has hundreds of homes, apartments and townhomes. And all residents have to use the intersection of Wells Creek Parkway and Philips Highway to enter and exit because there are no other outlets.
“The most recent accident I’ve seen was a few weeks ago and there was just car debris all over the road. Before that it was just an overturned car on their side. Every single accident I’ve seen has been awful,” said Hannah Carnes.
Residents said they’ve been fighting to get a traffic light here for years but had no luck.
News4JAX reached out to the Florida Department of Transportation and the City of Jacksonville for answers.
FDOT said it “required the developer to complete a traffic signal warrant analysis and construct the traffic signal once the warrants were met.”
The City of Jacksonville said, in part, “Currently, the Wells Creek Homeowners Association has an engineer working to design the signal plans. COJ is working to enter into a Public-Private Partnership with the HOA and secure the funding to build the signal.”
On Monday residents were shown a graphic at one of the mayor’s community conversations and it showed a timeline for building the traffic light. It’s expected to be completed in 2025.
It also shows the projected number of accidents at the entrance of the community increasing when compared to last year, which one resident said proves the traffic light is needed sooner.
“Why should anybody have to become physically harmed or even killed as a result of somebody not doing what they should be doing?” Terri Spock said.
State Senator Clay Yarborough’s office said it sent a letter to FDOT to look at reducing the speed on Philips Highway near Wells Creek until the traffic light is installed. It has also requested to have officers in front of the community to direct traffic in and out of the community.