|
‘Tis the season.
The holidays are just around the corner, but not all is jolly in Palm Beach County because the season means snowbirds are back in town, adding more cars on roads that already face congestion and gridlock during rush hour. And traffic is what’s on peoples’ minds when they contact our office to ask questions or share their concerns. So most of this column will be devoted to traffic issues.
People traveling to and from Palm Beach tell us about the long lines on Flagler Drive in the morning. This is partly due to the closure of the South Ocean Blvd near Mar-a-Lago but also because of bridge openings that happen outside of the regular operating schedule. Though we successfully reduced the number of bridge openings during morning and evening peak hours, the bridge always opens when a barge comes through, which can snarl traffic. The Town of Palm Beach is trying everything possible to address the traffic headaches. Town Manager Kirk Blouin presented a list of 28 traffic mitigation measures, including installing cameras on the bridge so residents and visitors can view the traffic situation in real-time. The town also does a good job of notifying people about road closures, and you can sign up for their alerts (text or email).
Other parts of our district are dealing with their own traffic problems. Our constituents in the Ibis community turned out in great numbers on December 10th to hear about road projects on Northlake Boulevard and Beeline Highway. Gregg, county engineer David Ricks, and staff from the Florida Department of Transportation gave presentations, and listened to and answered questions from the 350 attendees.
Residents in the southern part of our district have long let us know how frustrated they are with the stalled road projects on the Gateway Boulevard / Military Trail and Hypoluxo Road/Jog Road intersections. These intersection improvements are at a standstill due to a contractor not paying its subcontractors and failing to complete the jobs. County staff had to work with the surety company to try and complete the projects; this took a considerable amount of time, and failed to produce tangible results. Annoyed by the lack of progress and frustrated with the process, Gregg spoke up at an August board meeting, asking staff to look into how construction jobs are awarded, to prevent disasters like this from happening again. He also asked staff to look at taking money out of county reserves to complete the projects without having to wait for the legal process to conclude. Earlier this week, staff told us that the intent now is to handle the work ourselves since we could not get the surety company to work fast enough to bid on the projects and move them forward in a meaningful way. The surety company will reimburse the county for the cost to complete the projects - a process that will be executed as an emergency task order. We should have prices from our annual contractors in early January, at which point the county can move forward with completing these stalled projects.
To improve our understanding of traffic management and learn from other agencies, Gregg and staff visited the Regional Traffic Transportation Management Center (RTMC) in Ft. Lauderdale on December 19th. The RTMC monitors traffic and coordinates responses to incidents and crashes on the highways and arterial roads in South Florida 24/7. Gregg asked questions about how technology can be used to improve movement of traffic. Instead of trying to solve today’s problems with yesterday’s tools, Gregg believes we need to embrace technology, including adaptive signal technology, to improve traffic flows.
At the December 10th Board of County Commissioners meeting, the board approved issuing a Request For Proposal (RFP) for a Countywide Transportation Masterplan (CTMP). Gregg had requested this several months ago to better understand how people move around within the county and its cities and towns and -- looking towards the future -- how we can address deficiencies and improve commutes through a variety of actions. For example, through roadway expansion, adding bike lanes and walking paths, bus rapid transit, commuter rail improvements, adaptive traffic signals, and the use of technology. Responses to the RFP are due by February. Shortly thereafter, the Board of county Commissioners, during a public meeting, will select the preferred company from a shortlist of candidates.
On a positive note, the barricades around Mar-a-Lago are expected to be lifted after the January 20th inauguration because President Trump will be spending more time in Washington D.C. and less in Palm Beach.
Happy holidays to all!
Thanks for being a reader.
| 
