County officials, in collaboration with consultant WSP, are giving the public its first look at recommendations that could shape transportation projects across the county through 2050.
At open forum meetings, officials presented draft recommendations of the Palm Beach Countywide Transportation Master Plan (CTMP) that could act as a framework for future transportation planning.
The CTMP is a part of ongoing efforts by county leaders to create a unified vision for mobility for all of Palm Beach County, including its municipalities and unincorporated areas.
Recently, officials held another set of public meetings to showcase the draft recommendations. The first of these meetings was held at the Belle Glade branch library on Tuesday, June 30, and specifically addressed roads in the western communities.
Officials stressed that they are continuing to gather feedback throughout the process before finalizing the plan and presenting it to the Palm Beach County Commission.
“This is still an opportunity for you to provide input,” Palm Beach County Planning Director Thuy Shutt said at the June 30 meeting. “This is not the end by any means.”
The CTMP consolidated more than 2,000 transportation projects and existing local plans into one long-term strategy. The goal is for the CTMP to reflect community input for safer and more reliable transportation systems while tailoring recommendations to each municipality’s growth strategies.
Feedback from public meetings last year among county residents showed that top transportation concerns were related to addressing congestion, improving east-west travel, expanding transit options and making other modes of travel safer. Officials also tested future scenarios to identify areas where different strategies and solutions may be needed to support overall transportation plans.
Emily Ritzler, a consultant with WSP, said their approach heavily focuses on improving existing infrastructure before expanding it.
“We want to optimize first,” Ritzler said. “The good news is that you have a very robust transportation network.”
The creators of the plan analyzed multiple heavily used corridors, such as State Road 7 and Okeechobee Blvd. The recommendations include improvements to support future transportation for these roadways, which are growing in usage and have problems with congestion.
All of the roadway recommendations are intended to improve travel times, reduce congestion, improve transit for buses, and increase safety between cars and people.
Among the recommendations were the implementation of flex lanes, which would only apply to roadways that are six lanes or more. A flex lane’s function will change based on factors such as congestion, transit demand or environmental goals.
Elevated roadways, the usage of roundabouts, strategic roadway expansions and new connections were also identified as additional practical solutions. Other recommendations included rail-grade separations to reduce delays and lane repurposing for different uses.
Aside from roadways, the draft CTMP proposed ways that transit, technology and other modes of travel can be improved to support these efforts. Local governments can explore expanding transit hubs and high-frequency transit services. Technology can be used for adaptive traffic signals that adjust light patterns based on traffic conditions. Also, street features can be added to better protect paths used by bicycles or pedestrians.
While the CTMP works with existing local plans to create a long-term framework, it does not interfere with local planning efforts. These plans remain conceptual and will continue to be revised as officials collect more public feedback.
“We’re not necessarily making decisions on these recommendations today,” Ritzler said. “These are ideas and tools in a toolbox as things begin to move forward for consideration — when a project actually goes into a delivery phase.”
Those who gave public comment at the June 30 meeting believed that infrastructure needs to be improved first before implementing any of these projects. They pointed out how rapid development is straining communities’ existing transportation options.
“Why are we not fixing these issues, but yet the county is continuing to approve more construction, more development out west, and the roads can’t take it?” said Rudolph Tinker, a candidate for Palm Beach County Commission in District 6.
Others believed that the unincorporated parts of the western communities were underrepresented throughout the development of the CTMP.
Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Richard Vassalotti said that multiple road improvement projects need to be looked at before the CTMP is adopted.
“I’m hoping that this, the CTMP and the Board of County Commissioners can understand these concerns I presented, not take them lightly, address them seriously and not rush into adopting the CTMP until every concern has been mitigated,” he said.
Additional CTMP meetings were held July 1 in Palm Beach Gardens, July 8 in Boynton Beach and July 9 in West Palm Beach.
The finalized CTMP will be reviewed by the county commissioners later this year. To learn more about the CTMP process, visit www.pbcmoves.com.
