Thursday, November 21, 2024

These 9 big Palm Beach County road projects got money from the federal infrastructure money

Must read

play

Ever since the federal government pledged or granted nearly $300 million for Palm Beach County from the bipartisan infrastructure bill President Joe Biden signed into law in 2021, miles of highways, roadways, bridges and bike lanes countywide have been built, rebuilt, redone, repaved, beautified or expanded.

Some of the biggest results drivers will likely notice include replacing a half-century-old bridge in Jupiter or less stressful traffic jams on a major Boca Raton road. And while the infrastructure law is paying for more than just roads — upgrading Lake Worth Beach’s electric utility, for example — the federal government has pledged or spent more than $162 million on such projects in Palm Beach County, data from the White House online at Invest.gov shows.

Here is a list of nine of the biggest road projects in Palm Beach County funded in part by the infrastructure law, to the tune of about $70.7 million.

The bigger, safer Jupiter bridge

A big, new bridge connecting Jupiter and Tequesta that will be safer for boaters, drivers and pedestrians is set to open by early 2025, replacing the old one that was deteriorating since it was built in 1958.

Florida transportation officials closed the U.S. 1 bridge in March 2023. They have said crews have been working all hours of the day demolishing the old bridge to build the new one, featuring wider lanes, as well as sidewalks and bike lanes where before neither existed. The new bridge will be high enough for a 42-foot-tall boat, up from the 25-foot vertical clearance of the old bridge.

The channel in the water set aside for boats will be widened to 120 feet from 90 feet. That will allow for 44% fewer bridge openings, which will improve the flow of traffic on U.S. 1, FDOT has said.

The bridge will reopen as early as December, FDOT has said. It was originally meant to reopen Nov. 10, but Hurricane Milton delayed work on it.

More than $14 million of the $122 million project came from the infrastructure law.

A faster, safer way on and off the highway at Glades Road in Boca Raton

Glades Road drivers trying to get onto Interstate 95 used to have to cram into a single right lane feeding into the highway, causing miles of traffic jams along the road. Whether coming from the east or west, Glades had just one lane onto the highway.

Now, traffic flows faster and smoother in each direction, as the overpass is offering three lanes, in either direction, to get on and off the highway — no more jerks cutting everyone else off to get on the entrance ramp.

It’s thanks to what traffic engineers call a diverging diamond interchange. Drivers now merge into one of three lanes that crosses over to the left side of the road, and guides drivers into turning left onto I-95.

The French have used diamond interchanges since the 1970s. The Florida Department of Transportation, in charge of the overpass overhaul, said the new way is safer for drivers, too, citing Springfield, Missouri, where a study showed a 60% drop in crashes after a diamond interchange was installed there.

The infrastructure law contributed $12.9 million to this $148 million project. The interchange opened in March.

Widening Beeline Highway and Florida’s Turnpike

A 3-mile stretch of the Beeline Highway, between Northlake and Blue Heron boulevards, will get two more lanes, and a Florida’s Turnpike overpass will also be widened, under a $148 million FDOT-led project that includes $8.8 million from the federal government.

The Beeline will go from four lanes to six — three in each direction — and the turnpike bridge that goes over the highway will go from two lanes in each direction to five, state transportation officials say. The project will also add sidewalks and bicycle lanes to both sides of this strip of the Beeline, along with what state transportation officials call an 8-foot privacy wall along the highway next to the gated Steeplechase community.

Road crews have closed, or will close, lanes on both highways, along with connecting parts of Northlake and Blue Heron boulevards, while they work on the roads. FDOT expects the project to finish in late 2029.

West Palm Beach overhauling roads, sidewalks in these neighborhoods

West Palm Beach is turning to the federal government to help it fix sidewalks that have been torn up by old tree roots, repair road drainage problems that lead to rainwater flooding people’s yards during storms, build a walkway over a high-traffic roadway and slow down drivers to make things safer for pedestrians in historically neglected neighborhoods northwest of downtown.

For nearly $10.2 million, including $8.1 million from the Biden administration, the city plans to make all those improvements in the neighborhoods near Tamarind Avenue and Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard by the fall of 2028.

The city would install speed bumps and raised intersections — which are like big speed tables — along roads in these neighborhoods. The city also plans to build a pedestrian bridge linking Golf Avenue over the six-lane Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard, where commuters regularly speed 20 to 30 mph over its 30 mph speed limit. Trees will also be planted along streets to provide shade.

West Palm Beach officials are working with the Federal Highway Administration to finalize the federal grant agreement, city spokeswoman Diane Papadakos said. Once it’s done, construction will start early next year, she said.

New lights on road linking the Glades and the rest of Palm Beach County

Most of the 18-mile stretch of State Road 80 (Southern Boulevard) between Twentymile Bend and Main Street in Belle Glade is dark at night. This $26 million project is putting Florida Power & Light power poles made of concrete, with bright white LED lights, every 200 feet, along the mostly unlit road. The federal government is contributing more than $6.2 million.

Pole installations started last spring and the last ones are expected to be up and running by spring 2025, state transportation officials say.

Lots of construction at this Lake Worth Beach I-95 exit

The Biden administration is footing more than $5.8 million of a state-led $17.9 million project to add more lanes, sidewalks, bike lanes and more to the Sixth Avenue South exit of I-95.

All but one lane in either direction of the road is closed off for construction, which state transportation officials expect to be done by late 2025. Once complete, the road will have right-turn lanes for the northbound and southbound highway on-ramps.

The project will also extend the northbound left turn lane at South A Street, add 7-foot bike lanes and widen sidewalks on both sides of Sixth Avenue South to six feet. Workers will also add wrong-way signs to the I-95 on-ramps, 16-foot sound walls along the northbound ramp and the south side of the road, along with new curbs and gutters, a traffic separator, median, sidewalk and driveway along the road.

The project will also fix, replace or upgrade drainage, signs, lighting, traffic signals, and water, sewer and utility parts maintained by Lake Worth Beach.

Slower speeds, better pedestrian safety, on this West Palm Beach street

With about $5.3 million from the infrastructure law money, West Palm Beach plans to narrow a 1.5-mile stretch of residential road that ends at a big high school, along with other changes to make the street safer for pedestrians and slow down drivers.

The city will narrow a stretch of Parker Avenue that ends at Forest Hill High School. It will also lower the speed limit to 25 mph from 30, plant trees and install pedestrian-level street lights to make the road safer for pedestrian and bicycle-riders. The project goes from Forest Hill to Nottingham boulevards.

The city will add bike lanes and a 10-foot median in the middle of the road in areas with no driveways. Parker Avenue has green bike lanes north of Southern Boulevard.

Other parts of the project include replacing aging school zone signs and flattening the road.

Construction is expected to start in early 2025 after state transportation officials review the final grant agreement, Papadakos said. The project will be complete by mid-2026, she said.

Bike lanes, sidewalks, more trees on this Delray Beach street

Delray Beach is building sidewalks where there are none, along with bike lanes, trees for shade and pedestrian-level lighting to Germantown Road, a 1.5 mile street stretching southeast from Linton Boulevard, before turning northeast and ending at Congress Avenue.

Construction started this past summer. The federal government is contributing about $5 million for this project.

Widening West Atlantic Avenue

The Biden administration is pitching in $4.4 million for a $14 million project led by state transportation officials to double the number of lanes on Atlantic Avenue from Lyons Road to State Road 7.

By fall 2027, when the project is expected to done, that strip of Lyons will be four lanes, with 6-foot sidewalks and 7-foot bike lanes on both sides.

Road crews will also add a second northbound right turn lane and third through-lane to the State Road 7 intersection. Its Lyons Road crossing will have three through lanes each for its westbound and eastbound sides, along with two left-turn lanes and one right-turn lane each.

Chris Persaud covers transportation for The Palm Beach Post. Email tips and story ideas to cpersaud@pbpost.com.

Latest article