Drivers turning left from Stratton Boulevard or Industry Center Road onto State Road 16 will lose that option in mid-to-late September, when St. Johns County activates a Restricted Crossing U-Turn, or RCUT, traffic pattern at both intersections.

Under the new layout, drivers exiting Stratton Boulevard or Industry Center Road will turn right onto SR 16, then use a signalized median opening to make a U-turn and continue in the intended direction, First Coast Observer reported. The design is intended to reduce vehicle conflict points and improve traffic flow.

St. Johns County Public Works announced the change Aug. 6, calling the RCUT the most efficient approach identified by a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Intersection Control Evaluation study for improving traffic flow and reducing conflict points at the intersections.

The project adds traffic signals, turn lanes, pavement markings and two pedestrian crosswalks. One crosswalk will be at the eastern signalized U-turn.

State Funding Behind the Nearly $4 Million Project

A $4 million FDOT appropriation funded design, engineering, construction and construction engineering and inspection work along the SR 16 corridor at Stratton Boulevard and Industry Center Road. State Sen. Travis Hutson sponsored the 2023-24 local funding request, according to the Florida Senate.

The request identified reducing crashes and congestion as project goals. It specifically cited heavy truck traffic from county public works operations and other industrial businesses on Industry Center Road and the need for safer access to westbound SR 16 from that road and to eastbound SR 16 from Stratton Boulevard.

The project was planned using a June 2020 FDOT Intersection Control Evaluation. The 2023 funding request estimated construction would begin in 2025 and finish in 2026.

How to Navigate the New Intersections

Project manager Chris Gatchell of St. Johns County Public Works appears in a county-produced instructional video explaining the redesigned intersections. The county asks drivers to watch the video, available on the St. Johns County project page, before the new traffic pattern begins.

The county has not announced a precise activation date. It says the mid-to-late-September start depends on completion of construction. Updates will be posted as the opening approaches.

SR 16 is a state highway in northern St. Johns County. Stratton Boulevard and Industry Center Road serve nearby residential, commercial and industrial development.

Residents with questions can contact St. Johns County Public Works at 904-209-0266.