By Rich Pollack
The year-long State Road A1A improvement project through Highland Beach and part of southern Delray Beach has been pushed back and now isn’t expected to start until late May or early June.
In an email to elected officials in both municipalities sent just after the project was scheduled to begin early last month, Florida Department of Transportation officials said that the $8.3 million project was delayed “based on the latest coordination with the contractor.”
The project, which is expected to result in major traffic delays, will still most likely continue through next summer.
A spokesperson for the FDOT said the contractor requested the extra time to pursue a “cost savings initiative” related to how the roadway will be milled and resurfaced.
That initiative, which gives contractors the opportunity to offer ideas that can reduce public impact, save money or save time, would not change the original scope of the work.
Included in the project are the repaving and widening of A1A from Linton Boulevard to the Boca Raton line. It will also include 5-foot bicycle lanes on either side of the road and significant drainage improvements through much of Highland Beach.
One area where the improvement will be most noticeable will be at the intersection of A1A and Linton Boulevard.
For years, Highland Beach town leaders and residents have complained about the long line of cars turning onto the Linton Boulevard bridge causing lengthy backups on northbound A1A.
Included in the new project is an almost quadrupling of the length of the left-turn lane for cars heading over the bridge, from 75 feet to 275 feet. The turn lane now accommodates only about three cars. That will expand to about 11 cars once the work at the intersection is complete, meaning that fewer cars will be blocking traffic heading north through the intersection, FDOT representatives say.
Highland Beach Town Manager Marshall Labadie believes that while the project will cause much disruption, it will have visible benefits once it is complete.
“My hope is that all the frustration residents experience will be well worth it when we have a newly paved road, a better intersection at Linton Boulevard and improved drainage,” he said.
Correction: An earlier online version of this story, which also appeared in the May 2024 print edition, contained in incorrect project cost. The project cost is $8.3 million.
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