Atlantic Avenue to get buffered bike lanes and wider sidewalks from Turnpike to Jog Road

Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
This artist's rendering shows what a 10-foot-wide shared-use path and a 7-foot-wide buffered bike lane would look like on western Atlantic Avenue between Florida's Turnpike and Jog Road. The west-of-Delray Beach widening project is currently being designed. Construction won't begin until 2029.
This artist's rendering shows what a 10-foot-wide shared-use path and a 7-foot-wide buffered bike lane would look like on western Atlantic Avenue between Florida's Turnpike and Jog Road. The west-of-Delray Beach widening project is currently being designed. Construction won't begin until 2029.

DELRAY BEACH — The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has agreed to widen sidewalks and bicycle lanes along Atlantic Avenue from Florida's Turnpike to Jog Road west of Delray Beach in order to make them safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

FDOT was called on to redo its initial design following concerns from the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency (TPA) over the increasing number of bicycle and pedestrian fatalities in the county.

FDOT officials, appearing recently before the TPA board, reported that it was able to, for the most part, design 10-foot-wide shared-use paths that will be spacious enough for pedestrians and bicyclists to use. Cyclists who want to use a dedicated lane will be able to travel on a 7-foot-wide buffered lane, nearly double the current width.

FODT is planning to widen heavily congested Atlantic Avenue from State Road 7 east to Jog Road. FDOT’s update is related to the turnpike-to-Jog Road expansion, a segment that covers 1.8 miles. Along that segment, Atlantic Avenue intersects three major north-south roads — Florida's Turnpike, Hagen Ranch Road, and Jog Road. The proposed project would widen the existing four-lane road to six lanes.

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Construction is years away. Currently, FDOT is conducting a Project Development and Environment study that will draft design options and examine social and environmental impacts. The study is expected to be completed early next year.

The cost estimate for the project to reconstruct Atlantic Avenue from Jog Road to the entrance of the turnpike is $38 million. FDOT expects to secure construction funds in 2029. The state has set aside $95 million to acquire land that may be necessary to widen the road.

This map shows the proposed widening project on West Atlantic Avenue from Florida's Turnpike to Jog Road, west of Delray Beach.
This map shows the proposed widening project on West Atlantic Avenue from Florida's Turnpike to Jog Road, west of Delray Beach.

The TPA refused in 2021 to support FDOT plans unless changes were made to make the road safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. At the time, several members insisted on separate bike lanes as opposed to buffered lanes. But FDOT reported that the best it could do was to include 7-foot-wide bike lanes with a 2-foot-wide strip or buffer. And it acknowledged there will be “pinch points” where the widths will have to be reduced.

Recreational bikers are expected to bike on the shared-use paths with pedestrians. And cyclists who want to ride as fast as possible could use the 7-foot buffered bike lanes. State officials noted that high-speed cyclists do not want barriers because they make it difficult to pass slower cyclists.

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Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government and transportation. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: West Atlantic Avenue in Delray to get better for bikers, pedestrians