Palm Beach objects to some DOT projects within the town, expresses support for others

Town Council members weighed in Tuesday on a handful of Florida Department of Transportation projects within the town, expressing support for some and opposition to others.

During its regular meeting at Town Hall, the council was briefed by Public Works Director Paul Brazil and Town Engineer Patricia Strayer on the status of four DOT projects, all of which are in the planning stages.

Here is a look:

• South Ocean Boulevard between Ibis Way and Lake Avenue: At the May 10 council meeting, town staff presented an evaluation of the proposed DOT project for improvements to South Ocean Boulevard in the town's South End.

Those improvements include widening a portion of the roadway between Lake Avenue and Ibis Way, expanding a nearby recreation path, and creating a new bike lane for a limited distance that would not connect to an existing bike lane on the north or south side of the roadway.

Following council discussion and input from residents, Mayor Danielle Moore sent a letter to the DOT requesting that improvements be limited to resurfacing the existing roadway and rebuilding the pedestrian path with limited widening and lengthening.

On June 2, staff and council members attended a public meeting held by the DOT, which presented the project to the public. During the meeting, Senior Project Engineer Jason Debrincat read the mayor’s letter into the record.

The DOT issued a response to the letter last week, Strayer told council members.

In the letter, the agency said that it did not agree with the town's recommendations, and planned to move forward with widening the roadway for a new bike lane, even though the town pointed out that the bike lane "ends and does not go anywhere," Strayer said.

In response, the council authorized Moore to send another letter to the DOT asking that if the agency moved forward with widening the road, that it would not mark it as a bike lane. The letter also would ask the DOT to mill and resurface the existing recreation path.

Council member Lew Crampton spoke out against the project at Tuesday's meeting, saying it raised significant safety concerns and failed to take into account the objections of residents who lived nearby.

"This goes entirely against the recommendations that were made in the community and in testimony to DOT staff," he said. "It's their staff rationale that more bike lanes are needed in our community. It's wonderful that they're making that decision in Fort Lauderdale, and we're going to have to live with it. I'm totally, completely and unalterably opposed to this."

• South Ocean Boulevard and South County Road from Southern Boulevard to Royal Palm Way: The DOT has been working with the town for the past six months on this maintenance project, which includes several improvements as well as standard milling and resurfacing of the roadway.

Plans include:

  * Replacement of the sidewalk from Brazilian Avenue to Royal Palm Way, which will include the privately owned sidewalk as long as property owners sign agreements with the DOT.

    * Replacement of standard mast arms with decorative mast arms. DOT will design the mast arms, Strayer said. Renderings will be brought back to the council to view and approve.

    * Streetlights will be modified to LED lights using existing poles. The council could object to stronger lighting, Strayer said, and would consider the issue at an upcoming meeting.

Work on the project is expected to begin in May 2024, Strayer said.

• South County Road between Royal Palm Way and Royal Poinciana Way: As part of the town-wide undergrounding project, the town has requested that the DOT participate in replacing the sidewalk along South County Road between Royal Palm Way and Royal Poinciana Way.

DOT staff indicated that the initial review of the sidewalks did not support full replacement, Strayer said.

"The first shot across the bow was not positive," she said. "We're continuing to work on that."

• Royal Palm Way bridge painting: The town has asked the DOT to delay its bridge-painting project that is scheduled to begin Sept. 7. Expressing concerns about traffic impacts, Moore wrote a letter last month requesting that the agency postpone its planned painting of the Royal Park Bridge to May 2023. A meeting between the DOT and town staff is planned for Friday.

Code Enforcement vacancies filled: During Tuesday's meeting, the council appointed John B. McGowan Jr., Harris Fried and Pamela T. Davies to fill vacant spots on the Code Enforcement Board.

McGowan, who serves as an alternate member on the board, was elevated to a regular member, while Fried and Davies will fill alternate spots. Each appointment is for three years.

The Code Enforcement Board hears cases involving violations of the town code and ordinances, and imposes administrative fines and other noncriminal penalties where a pending or repeated violation exists.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Palm Beach objects to some FDOT projects within town, supports others