News

By Tim O’Meilia
    
Out-of-towners traveling I-95 and headed for the Ritz-Carlton Resort in Manalapan or Grandma and Grandpa’s condo in South Palm Beach better have an updated GPS system.
    When the Ocean Avenue bridge is closed in March for replacement, visitors won’t learn that until they reach the U.S. 1 and Lantana Road intersection.  
    Even locals driving up or down U.S. 1 won’t know the bridge is out until they reach another sign at U.S. 1 and Ocean Avenue.
    Those little blue signs put up by the state road department that tell drivers that individual businesses on Ocean Avenue are still open are nowhere in Palm Beach County’s traffic plan.
    “We had never seen the signage plan (until Dec. 6) and what we saw, at first blush, seems less detailed than what we would have liked,” said Lantana Town Manager Michael Bornstein.
    After meeting with county officials and the construction firm in early December, Bornstein and officials from other coastal towns that will be affected by the two-year replacement project asked county engineers to consider more signs.
    South Palm Beach Police Chief Roger Crane sympathized. “It’s really an injustice to businesses not to have the signage. Either the county or someone needs to put signs up. Let’s help them out as best we can.”
    The detour signs will send drivers north to the Lake Worth bridge then south down State Road A1A, but the signs simply say to follow the detour signs. Bornstein wants them to say drivers are being sent over the Lake Worth bridge.
    But, open-for-business signs are critical at the west end of Ocean Avenue. “We need permanent notice that our downtown is still open for business,” Bornstein said.
    GLF Construction’s $33.2 million contract to replace the 61-year-old bridge officially began Dec. 20, but the bridge won’t be closed for demolition until March 19. The first three months will be spent moving materials and equipment onto the staging areas at Bicentennial and Sportsman’s parks at the west end. The new bridge will be 11 feet taller at the center and remain two lanes, but the lanes will be slightly wider and include shoulders/bicycle lanes and sidewalks on both sides. A fishing pier will run beneath the Lantana side. The new bridge is scheduled to re-open in October 2013.
    Other bridge-related topics:
    Lantana, South Palm Beach and Manalapan police are still mapping out police coverage on Hypoluxo Island. Lantana may stage a patrol car on the island for several hours a day. In times when no patrol car is close, South Palm Beach likely will be the first to respond to 911 or other calls.
    “There’s not only police but garbage, trash, utilities, water and sewer to deal with. A lot of logistics, but we’re good at it and will handle it,” said Lantana’s Bornstein.
    “We’ve all worked well over the years so it should not be a problem,” said former Manalapan Police Chief Clay Walker. “We’ll be meeting more as things get closer.”
    With the bridge closed, officials speculate that there will be less traffic into the residential neighborhoods. The island, like Manalapan, has cameras that snap license plate photos of each entering and exiting vehicle.
    County traffic engineers estimate that 25 percent of the detoured traffic will travel south and reach the barrier island by the Ocean Avenue Bridge between Ocean Ridge and Boynton Beach. That could increase traffic on the bridge by 62 percent.
    County project engineer Kristine Frazell-Smith assured Ocean Ridge Police Chief Chris Yannuzzi that timing of the traffic lights on both ends of the Boynton bridge will be adjusted if traffic warrants it.
    For their historical value, Lantana will salvage the roof of the bridge tender’s house, the gearbox that raises the spans, a light on the span, plaques on the bridge and other items.