Confused? What to know about the two A1A projects planned in Palm Beach

Kristina Webb
·4 min read
Traffic moves along State Road A1A just north of Lake Avenue in May. This section of roadway will be included in a Florida Department of Transportation project.
Traffic moves along State Road A1A just north of Lake Avenue in May. This section of roadway will be included in a Florida Department of Transportation project.

Plans are underway for the Florida Department of Transportation to revamp two sections of State Road A1A (South Ocean Boulevard) through Palm Beach.

With one project on the South End and the other running through Midtown, it could be easy to confuse elements of one for the other.

There also is major opposition to one project, whereas the other has earned an initial, modest round of support.

Here’s what to know about each project.

Where are they?

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The project on the South End extends along about 2.1 miles of A1A from south of Lake Avenue — the intersection of A1A with the entrance to Lake Worth Beach Park — to north of Ibis Way, across from Palm Beach Fire Rescue Station No. 3.

Read more:Palm Beach residents learn more about plans to resurface busy stretch of A1A

The project in Midtown covers 2.3 miles of A1A from north of Emerald Beach Way — just south of the Bath & Tennis Club — to the intersection with Royal Palm Way.

What is planned?

For the South End project, state planners propose to:

  • Repave the road

  • Widen the paved shoulder to 5 feet

  • Replace the existing 5-foot asphalt sidewalk with a 6-foot concrete sidewalk

  • Upgrade pedestrian curb ramps to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards

  • Upgrade signing, pavement markings and lighting

  • Upgrade the pedestrian signals at the intersection with Lake Avenue, the mid-block crossing for the Raymond Floyd Golf Course and at Phipps Ocean Park

  • Improve drainage

For the project that runs through Midtown, the state plans to:

  • Repave the road

  • Bring the roadway up to Americans with Disabilities Act standards

  • Improve drainage

  • Replace or add signs and pavement markings

  • Upgrade the patterned crosswalk at Peruvian Avenue

  • Replace all of the existing signals, including emergency signals

  • Upgrade pedestrian signals

  • Upgrade lighting with decorative piles at intersections with signals, and at three mid-block locations

  • Replace the existing sidewalk along A1A between Brazilian Avenue and Royal Palm Way

Which project faces opposition?

The project on the South End has faced opposition from residents and town officials, who say that by widening the road to accommodate a bike lane, state planners are creating unsafe conditions.

“While the town applauds FDOT’s intent to accommodate cyclist on their roadways, the Town does not support the widening of the roadway between South Lake Avenue to North Ibis Way,” Mayor Danielle Moore wrote in a December letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, which followed a similar letter she sent last August to FDOT District Four Secretary Gerry O’Reilly. “There is no safe opportunity to extend the bike lane continuously beyond Ibis Way anytime in the future.”

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Past Ibis Way, the right-of-way narrows heading north into Sloan’s Curve, she wrote. “Therefore, there is no opportunity to make this a safe thoroughfare for bikes.”

Originally, the plan called for bike lanes as part of the widening work. Because of the town’s opposition, state planners cut marked bike lanes from the plan and instead proposed widening the road and the walking path.

The council still opposes this plan, with Moore writing to DeSantis that widening the road “will only create a situation where bikers are encouraged to continue north without ‘proper bicycle accommodations’ north of Ibis Way or make a U-turn at the intersection of A1A and Ibis Way to return to Lake Avenue or return south.”

The council asked DeSantis to limit the project just to resurfacing the road and walking path at the same widths they are now.

Where do the projects stand?

Both projects are in the design phase.

How much will they cost?

Construction on each project is estimated to cost $3.5 million, for a total of about $7 million for both.

When would construction begin?

Construction on the Midtown section is slated to begin in April 2024 with work completed in December 2025. Construction on the South End project would begin in the fall of 2024 with construction completed in late 2025.

What happens next?

After a Feb. 7 public meeting to discuss plans for the Midtown A1A project, planners are processing public comments.

A public meeting to discuss the South End project is scheduled for 6 p.m. April 27. The meeting will be held virtually and in person. For information on how to join virtually, go to www.d4fdot.com. The in-person meeting will be at the Tideline Ocean Resort, 2842 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: What to know about the two A1A projects planned in Palm Beach