By Rich Pollack
Highland Beach residents as well as anyone passing through town on State Road A1A are likely to see some additional safety improvements soon thanks in large part to an appropriation of $375,000 from the state.
Construction is expected to start this month on the town’s Pedestrian Safety Traffic Improvement Project, which includes major upgrades to the 3-mile walking path on the west side of A1A as well as the installation of in-ground lighting on eight pedestrian crosswalks.
The walking path project will include milling, regrading and repaving the shared use walkway at a cost of $263,260. The town will use $180,420 of state money for the project and supplement it with $82,840 of budgeted town funds.
The improvements to the widely used walking path are much needed, according to Town Commissioner Judith Goldberg.
“There’s a lot of activity and it will now be safer for everyone,” she said.
Part of the problem with the path as it is now, Goldberg said, is that there are a lot of uneven spots that can make it easy for someone to fall.
She knows firsthand about the fall risk, having taken a tumble not too long ago on the uneven surface.
“I was very shaken up,” she said, adding that although she wasn’t seriously hurt, she avoided walking on the path for some time.
The commissioner said that town leaders had hoped that improvements to the walking path would have been made by the state Department of Transportation during a two-year A1A resurfacing project.
When that didn’t happen, the town sought the help of state Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, a Republican who Goldberg said was instrumental in helping get legislative approval for the two projects and helping them avoid the veto of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Pedestrian crosswalk safety has long been a priority for the town, and the addition of embedded pedestrian-activated lights will enhance the effort that has already included flashing beacons — and orange flags that walkers can carry — to improve visibility.
The new embedded solar lights will come with a price tag of $283,920, with $194,580 coming from the state appropriation and the remainder coming from the town.
“The lights will certainly enhance the safety and beauty of our town,” Goldberg said. “Drivers won’t be able to miss them.”
The Highland Beach appropriations were co-sponsored in the state senate by Sen. Lori Berman, a Democrat who also co-sponsored a successful $1 million appropriation request for improvement to the intersection of Swinton and Atlantic avenues in Delray Beach and $375,000 in funding for water line improvements in the Riviera community in Boca Raton.
Comments