Authorities work to alleviate heavy traffic in New Smyrna Beach

City: Roads also don't support traffic anymore

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – The city says traffic is becoming a big issue in New Smyrna Beach.

"Traffic is terrible. I've seen it go all the way to I-95 and past there," said Cliff Abeles.

"It brings revenue to the city but it's kind of a pain in the butt at the same time you know," Dennis Samolinski said.

Cars already filled up Flagler Avenue and nearby parking lots on Friday, ready to celebrate Mother's Day weekend.

"It'll be really crowded and I plan on either walking or using my bike," said Abeles.

That's why the city, county and Police Department along with Florida Department of Transportation are trying to find ways to alleviate the heavy traffic.

Currently, police said they've changed traffic flow patterns on the beach during busy times, changed the timing of lights and used electronic billboards to alert drivers when it's crowded and to seek off-beach parking.

But it's still not enough. Police said they're now proposing other ideas to fix the problem:
--Signs on I-95, I-4 and SR 44 West, to alert drivers when the beach is full and to seek areas like Brevard County or Daytona Beach.
--Additional signs to let drivers know of less-crowded beach approaches including Beach Way and Crawford.
--Add extra officers to patrol heavy beach days and holidays.

The city also said the roads don't support the traffic anymore and they're working as quickly as they can to fix the problem.

"It's a problem and I don't know if anybody has a solution to it," said Abeles.


About the Author:

Loren Korn is a native Texan who joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2014. She was born and raised in Houston and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Journalism.

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