
Donnatt Forrester, a senior operator working in the Palm Beach SMART SunGuide Transportation Management Center in West Palm Beach, monitors Thursday afternoon traffic on the bank of screens at the front of the control room. By the end of 2010, the system will be replicated along the Treasure Coast, with the base of operations in Fort Pierce monitoring 71 miles of Interstate 95 with 60 cameras, 98 traffic sensors, 12 dynamic message boards and Road Rangers.
WEST PALM BEACH — In an auditorium-size room that looks a lot like NASA Mission Control, four men talk into headsets, type away on computer terminals and watch nine video screens showing sections of Interstate 95 in Palm Beach County.
“Yeah, it’s calm right now,” said Bob Murphy, operations project manager at the SunGuide Transportation Management Center, “but that can change quickly. It’s feast or famine. On a sunny, beautiful day you can have tragedy happen in an instant; or it can start off small and get really big really quick.” (more…)
Tags: big brother, business, i-95, Traffic
Posted in Economy, Indian River County, Martin County, St. Lucie County, Traffic, Treasure Coast business | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 by TCPalm.com
STUART — A Stuart motorist who sideswiped a vehicle in traffic was arrested with a blood alcohol level of 0.402, five times higher than the legal limit, on Monday at 5:50 p.m., police said.
Terrance Jay Larsen, 50, of 4645 S.E. Circle Way, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with property damage, DUI with property damage and fleeing a law enforcement officer, according to Stuart Police Sgt. Martin J. Jacobson.
(more…)
Tags: accident, dui, fleeing law enforcement, motorist, property damage, Traffic
Posted in Crime, Stuart, Traffic | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 by TCPalm.com
FORT PIERCE — A 26-year-old Coral Springs man died and a baby was in critical condition following a Tuesday night crash on Interstate 95 that also injured three others, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
Northbound I-95 traffic was diverted onto Okeechobee Road for about 4 1/2 hours following the 10:21 p.m. crash, which happened in the area of Okeechobee Road.
Chad Joseph Demarco, who died in the incident, was driving a 2009 Nissan Murano north with three passengers, including Braniah Brown, almost 8 months, of Deerfield Beach. Demarco, “(f)or reasons yet to be determined,” stopped in the center lane and activated the hazard lights, an FHP release states.
(more…)
Tags: accident, baby, coral springs, crash, death, FHP, freightliner semi, Interstate 95, Traffic
Posted in St. Lucie County, Traffic | 8 Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009 by TCPalm.com
STUART — A Stuart woman was killed Thursday night as she was attempting to cross the southbound lanes of U.S. 1 in the 1700 block of Northwest Federal Highway.
Stuart police report Martha Clearwater, 42, was airlifted to Lawnwood Medical Center in Fort Pierce with severe injuries following the 7:15 p.m. accident and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
(more…)
Tags: Fort Pierce, killed, Palm City, pedestrian, Stuart, Traffic, U.S. 1, woman
Posted in Fort Pierce, Palm City, Stuart, Traffic | 8 Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009 by TCPalm.com
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A 25-year-old Fort Pierce resident was killed Saturday night in a three-vehicle accident in northern St. Lucie County, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report.
Juan Alberto Lopez was northbound on King’s Highway just before 10 p.m. when he lost control of his vehicle about 500 feet south of Palomar Parkway and crossed into the southbound lane into the path of two vehicles, according to the report.
The first vehicle, driven by Port St. Lucie resident Lacy Catherine Mahon, 17, swerved and hit the left front of Lopez’ vehicle. Mahon and her passenger, Fort Pierce resident Taryn M. Horvath, also 17, sustained minor injuries.
(more…)
Tags: crash, dies, driving, fatal, FHP, Fort Pierce, injuries, investigation, st. lucie, Traffic
Posted in Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Traffic | No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 by TCPalm.com
VERO BEACH — A 25-year-old New York woman faces seven driving-related charges, including child endangerment, after eluding law enforcement at high speeds for 10 miles on Interstate 95 early Tuesday afternoon, reports show.
Maria “Zion Christ” Roberts drove her white van in excess of 110 mph from northern St. Lucie County to Indian River County while going in and out of traffic and attempting U-turns.
Four miles south of Sebastian she crossed the median and sped north in the southbound lanes for several miles before sheriff’s deputies finally were able to puncture one of her tires and the car slammed into a guardrail.
(more…)
Tags: arrested, bail, chase, child endangerment, eluding law enforcement, God, i-95, money, new york, police, speeding, Traffic
Posted in Courts, Crime, Indian River County, St. Lucie County, Traffic, Weird News | 9 Comments »
Sunday, October 4th, 2009 by TCPalm.com
PORT ST. LUCIE — Motorists should expect slight delays from periodic lane closures on a half-mile section of Becker Road being widened from two to four lanes.
The road will remain open as the city continues the widening project from Paley Court to the interchange at Florida’s Turnpike beginning Monday for the next six months, according to Jim Angstadt, a civil engineer with the city. (more…)
Tags: Port St. Lucie, roads, Traffic
Posted in Port St. Lucie, St. Lucie County, Traffic | No Comments »
Monday, September 21st, 2009 by TCPalm.com
Ongoing construction on Interstate 95 in St. Lucie County and construction of a truck weighing station on I-95 in Martin County will impact traffic this week.
In St. Lucie County, one lane will be closed from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through Friday alternately northbound and southbound between Becker Road and Gatlin Boulevard, and between State Road 70 and Midway Road.
(more…)
Tags: construction, Interstate 95, lane closures, Traffic
Posted in Martin County, St. Lucie County, Traffic | No Comments »