Few steps remain for Country Club Shores turn lane improvements

Darker than any other portion of Gulf of Mexico Drive, it still faintly emits that distinct tar smell.

All that remains for the Country Club Shores turn lane project are the final touches. Touch-up “paint,” landscaping, and a few other minor details.

Some of the paint marking the lanes on the 0.89 mile segment of the project is temporary and will need “thermoplastic” striping. That’s not a invention. It’s the standard material used to mark traffic lanes on roads for decades. The material incorporates glass beads before heating to 400-plus degrees and spread on the asphalt.

Regular paint quickly fades as car tires drive over it. Thermoplastic is more resilient.

“Thermoplastic striping is a highly reflective, long-lasting pavement marking material that is resistant to cracking,” said project manager David Kushnir. “Thermoplastic striping lasts up to 8 years and is embedded with reflective materials allowing for greater visibility during darkness.”

On Monday, the first thermoplastic lines along the stretch of road, and Kushnir said more is being placed nightly.

Photo by S.T. Cardinal

The raised concrete medians, which separate the north and southbound traffic lanes, have also had reflectors installed on either end to help drivers spot the curbs while entering or exiting Country Club Shores.

Public Works Director Charlie Mopps said the raised curbing was something FDOT insisted upon with any expansion of the state road.

“When we originally tried to go through the designing process many years ago, we tried to just do it with striping. FDOT would not allow it,” Mopps said. “They wanted the curbs because they wanted that to act as a traffic calming device. Their concern was if we just stripe it, people would just bypass any type of queue of cars that are in there and it could create head-on collisions or people could be T-boned from somebody trying to come out.”

Inside those curbs will be landscaping and irrigation.

In the medians, there will be the planting of four varieties of bromeliad, Bulbine flowers, Florida Thatch Palms, society garlic flowers and coontie bushes.

The plants chosen will not hamper visibility because of the low height, and the town will be responsible for maintaining the landscaping.

The contract for the project ends on the last day of the year, but the project could wrap up before then. Mopps said the current schedule the contractors are working on has them completing the job in early December.

When finished, the stretch of road may signify what Gulf of Mexico Drive could look like throughout the barrier island as the town works to turn Gulf of Mexico Drive into a “complete street” which FDOT defines as roads that “serve the transportation needs of transportation system users of all ages and abilities, including pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, motorists, and freight handlers,” according to a 2021 memo from the department.

“That’s really an example of what our Complete Streets would look like as we look to do that through the whole island except for the sidewalk piece,” Town Manager Howard Tipton said. “The street itself is representative of what Complete Streets look like.”