Like the rest of St. Johns County, this stretch of SR-16 (from Verona Way to east of Whisper Ridge) has seen high growth in both population and traffic. There are currently six residential neighborhoods, two schools, two daycare centers, a veterans’ home, a new assisted living facility, and other residential homes. There are also new, large retail entities like Home Depot, Costco, Bucees, and multiple restaurants in the area, causing feeder roads to experience more traffic. In the works, are multiple apartment complexes and townhome communities, as well as a Publix-anchored shopping center (Elevation Pointe) and a second strip center across from the St. Augustine Outlets. This construction will only add to the number of vehicles traveling on SR-16. In the future, there is also land for a school and small shopping center at SR-16 and Turnbull Creek Road.

According to the FDOT Project Development & Environment (PD&E) Study created in February, 2024, “These additional residential and commercial developments along and adjacent to SR 16 will put additional pressure on the already strained roadway network.” (https://nflroads.com/ProjectDetails?p=5615

There have been three fatal crashes on this stretch of SR-16 since 2022, two of which occurred within a week of each other in the spring of 2025.

According to a speed study conducted by the FDOT in July of 2023, over half of the drivers on SR-16 exceed the speed limit. Rather than looking at that statistic, the FDOT uses an 85% driving speed, and, as long as 85% of the drivers only speed an average of 4 to 8 mph over the limit, they see no reason to lower the speed limit.

The Impact of Speed on traffic accidents:

What the FDOT fails to take into account are the statistics showing that crashes that happen at higher speeds result in more fatalities and more critical injuries compared to lower speeds. For every 10 mph increase in speed, the survival rate drops by half. Research shows that when speed limits are raised, speeds go up, as do fatal crashes. By the same token, lowering speed limits cuts injury crashes.

Speed has a major impact on the number of crashes and the severity of injuries they cause (Elvik, 2005). It influences the risk of crashes and crash injuries in four basic ways:

It increases the distance a vehicle travels from the time a driver detects an emergency to the time the driver reacts.
It increases the distance needed to stop a vehicle once the driver starts to brake.
It increases the risk that an evasive steering maneuver will result in loss of control.
It increases crash energy disproportionately. Additionally, when impact speed increases from 40 to 60 mph (a 50% increase), the energy that needs to be managed increases by 125%. This additional energy needs to be absorbed and dissipated, challenging the vehicle structure and increasing the likelihood of severe injuries.
As the growth continues and traffic keeps increasing, it will become more and more difficult for residents along SR-16 to turn onto the highway. It can often take over two or three minutes to make a left turn. According to FDOT statistics, of the 536 traffic incidents on this stretch of SR-16 from 2020 through March 8, 2025, 70 were related to left turns (13%). Of the 70 crashes, one of which was fatal, 28 resulted in injuries (41%).

Traffic flow would also be positively impacted if the speed limit was reduced, preferably to 45 mph, as there would be less of a backup at the lights at the two “book-end” intersections of SR-16 and International Golf Parkway and SR-16 and Toms Road.

While there are plans to widen SR-16 in the future, it is not necessary to wait until that far-off construction is complete to change the speed limit. In fact, with construction far in the distance, it makes more sense to address this safety issue now with an easy solution.

Reduce the speed limit on SR-16 from 60 mph to 45 mph now!