Kanner Highway (Miami, Orlando, Jupiter: to rent, neighborhoods, quality of life)

[manny118]

I was reading that Kanner Highway in Stuart was being expanded from 4 lanes to 6 lanes. Is this project expected to make commuting from Stuart and Jensen Beach to I95 easier? Does the community view this as a benefit to the Stuart/Jensen area as it could make the area more popular to commuters working in West Palm and other job centers further South? I've heard people on this forum comment on how Port St Lucie West and Palm City were desirable because of their proximity to I95 and the turnpike, so I figured if Jensen and Stuart had better access that would improve the desirability of these neighborhoods as well.

On a related note I've read a lot about the opposition to All Aboard Florida in Martin County. I can understand how people living near the tracks would be upset about this but for the larger community I think this would be a huge benefit if commuter rail opportunities grow out of it. I grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and the expensive communities are in the chain of neighborhoods called the Main Line which get their name from the commuter rail that extends through these neighborhoods. I've seen a similar thing occur in Northern Virginia where property values go up when the Metro Rail opens a station in or near a community. I realize the All Aboard Florida train will not stop in the Treasure Coast but I believe Tri Rail is expected to expand service up to Jupiter on the FEC tracks at some point. If Tri Rail goes up to Jupiter then I can see it eventually going up to Stuart at some point.

So I guess the big question I have is if projects like the Kanner Highway expansion and All Aboard Florida seem to have the potential for major economic benefits to the area, why is there such a huge opposition to these projects?

[DanielAvery]

My opposition to the AAF project is mainly due to the belief that there are a lot of things people "say" will occur that won't, and gloss over things that actually will happen. I'm not sold on the idea that there is large enough demand for passenger rail service down here. Sure, people from the northeast love passenger rail and more power to them. But in the more rural parts of the south we have not grown up with public transportation as part of our everyday lives. I'm told it will be so convenient to get on a train and ride to Orlando...but if I'll need to rent a car once I get there, why not just drive my own car there? I believe the AAF people will, later down the line, have to take on freight cars in order to support the underperforming passenger service, and eventually will just be another freight service rattling through the center of town at all hours. Those who gloss over the increased frequency of trains going through Stuart ought to spend a week or so living near the tracks, being startled awake by the five-second-duration train whistles every three hours, then have those doubled. The shiny object (passenger rail! Oooh...) is waved in front of those in charge to distract from the real plan, which is to further degrade the quality of life of the average folks with more freight trains, trains helped into existence by those average folks' assistance via their tax dollars.

Yes, I know these arguments have been brought up and tossed around ad nauseam on here, and people will tell me I'm wrong about it all. But it's what I fear will happen, so I continue to be wary of these AAF people.

I will say that I had not heard they planned to expand Kanner to six lanes (I'm assuming all the way to I95). The parts closer to town are already six lanes in places. While it will obviously make it easier to get from Stuart to 95, I don't think it will be anything revolutionary--not making a significant difference to those thinking of moving here and commuting.

[aridon]

AAF seems destined to fail with high prices and the sprawl of Florida cities tends to make walking impossible. So what exactly do you do when you get to Orlando and have no vehicle? Or Miami? I'm dubious on the usefulness and when you factor in the cost $99 each way I'd rather drive. Heck, I'm going to need my car up there anyway. I could also fly there and it would cost a similar amount.