RENDERING BY KITTELSON AND ASSOCIATES
New Smyrna Beach is weighing a roundabout at one of its deadliest intersections, the crossing of U.S. 1 and Inlet Shores Drive, after a three-year stretch that saw 13 crashes, five fatalities, seven injuries, and an estimated $239,000 in property damage.
The intersection sits across from New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport, near a flight school, mechanic school, boat ramp, and a residential neighborhood on a stretch of U.S. 1 that’s also known as Dixie Freeway. It’s right where northbound traffic picks up speed heading toward the bridges over Rose Bay on the way to Port Orange, while southbound traffic is entering an urban section but doesn’t really get a beat to slow down to accommodate local traffic. One crash involved a motorcyclist traveling 130 mph.
The most deadly single incident came on July 24, 2024, when Matt Cindric, 42, and his wife, Fawne Cindric, 45, who were both educators in the Volusia County area, were killed along with motorcyclist Justin Sexton, 27, of Holly Hill. The couple left behind four children.
Airport Director Arvin Weese, who said he has personally watched people be cut from cars with the jaws of life at the intersection, has been working with FDOT on a solution. FDOT traffic studies found that neither the airport entrance nor Inlet Shores Drive individually meet FDOT thresholds for a traffic signal, but combining traffic from both locations could justify traffic enhancements. The proposal would merge the airport entrance and Inlet Shores Drive into one intersection anchored by a roundabout.
A public meeting was held June 24 at the Brannon Center, where transportation firm Kittelson & Associates presented the proposal and collected written comments. No decision has been made. The city says construction of any solution is still three to five years out.
