Western Northlake Boulevard Traffic Concerns

Numerous concerns have been expressed about traffic in the western part of the Northlake Blvd. corridor.  The following information addresses the connected roadways, jurisdictions, construction, and responsibilities of the state, county, and cities.  This includes Northlake Blvd., the Beeline Hwy., the Coconut Blvd. extension, and the SR 710 extension.

LATEST UPDATE FROM FDOT

"I am Silvana Ojeda, the Community Outreach Specialist for the SR 710/Beeline Highway Reconstruction Project with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. 

I want to assure you that we are working diligently to address your concerns. We recognize that traffic at Northlake Blvd. and Beeline Hwy. intersection is currently challenging, with less throughput, due to the traffic shift and traffic barrels.  We are working with Palm Beach County Traffic Engineering to improve traffic flow by increasing traffic signal green time for the eastbound morning commute. Currently, the eastbound signal green time is approximately 120 seconds per cycle. 

We plan to keep two lanes of travel open on Northlake Boulevard in each direction, eastbound and westbound, plus turning movement access through the Beeline Highway intersection for all significant/extended phases of the project.  However, once the outside roadway is constructed, traffic will then be shifted to reconstruct the median.  A phased approach allows us to keep one lane open to traffic in each direction, but it also extends the time of the project. The alternative is to close the road completely, which will allow the project to be completed sooner but will result in a greater disruption to the community. During planning, design, and coordination with local officials, it was decided that a phased approach was the preferred alternative. 

One thing we've been able to manage is avoiding a complete rebuilding of the road at the Beeline Hwy. and Northlake Blvd. intersection and the Jog Rd. intersection with Beeline Hwy. We tested the existing materials and found that the asphalt and layers beneath it are strong enough to allow the work in these areas to be done by adding more asphalt on top. This work can happen overnight, so we can avoid the need for long detours around the intersection, which was originally planned to be done in several phases. 

We are also coordinating with CSX Rail. The truss at the railroad crossing needs to be replaced. CSX is also planning other improvements that, in initial planning, considered a full closure of the roadway at the tracks for 5-7 days. We are working with CSX to expedite this work while maintaining traffic and aiming for an around-the-clock approach during the summer when school is out, and the seasonal residents are gone. 

Community feedback is at the core of all we do, FDOT works with the public to balance their community vision with the community's transportation needs. This is routine on all our projects to ensure Florida's infrastructure is safe, resilient, and efficient for many years into the future. That said, we’re actively pursuing measures to accelerate the schedule by adding resources and increasing efficiency, hopefully reducing the project's overall timeline.

Our office is on Northlake Blvd and N. Military Trail. If your schedule allows, we’d be happy to meet in person to discuss the project in more detail or provide additional updates as necessary.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any further questions or concerns.

Best regards,
Silvana"

PROJECT PAGE- STATE ROAD 710/BEELINE HIGHWAY RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT

Contact Us

  1. FDOT Point of Contact


    SR 710/Beeline Highway Reconstruction Project
    Silvana Ojeda
    Community Outreach Specialist
    The Corradino Group
    8895 N Military Trail, Suite B-101
    Palm Beach Gardens 33410

    Mobile: 561-905-0167

    sojeda@corradino.com

JURISDICTION ON NORTHLAKE BOULEVARD

The City of Palm Beach Gardens has been in contact with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), Palm Beach County Management, Palm Beach County Traffic Engineering Department, and the City of West Palm Beach for several years now.   We will continue to express our concerns and recommendations to all of these agencies and jurisdictions.   All of Northlake Blvd. is a county road and the construction, number of lanes, and speed limits, along with traffic signals & timing cycles, are all controlled by Palm Beach County.   Portions of this county road pass through multiple jurisdictions along the entire length of Northlake Blvd. from U.S. 1 to Seminal Pratt Rd.  Out west of the Beeline Hwy., the City of West palm Beach has jurisdiction from the Beeline intersection to the west side of the IBIS community.  However, Northlake Blvd., a county road, is still under the control of Palm Beach County, not the municipality.  The same is true for Palm Beach Gardens’ jurisdiction along western Northlake Blvd., from Carlton Oaks to the western edge of Avenir, at Grapeview Blvd.   The intersection of Grapeview, west to Seminal Pratt Whitney is all within County jurisdiction and control.

CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW CLOSEUP MAP

Western Northlake Blvd Jurisdiction Map.

When Avenir was approved for development, they were required to pay for road expansion and improvements along the Northlake corridor from S.R 7 to Grapeview Blvd.  The City of Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach County, and the Avenir developers all agreed, and funding was provided to Palm Beach County a number of years ago.  Additionally, Avenir was required to build a two-lane road extending Coconut Blvd. from Northlake to the Beeline when certain milestones were reached in the development.  The City of Palm Beach Gardens has requested that this Coconut extension be widened to four-lanes, instead of two, and has allocated funding to pay for the additional lanes.  The construction of this four-lane extension has gone out to bid and is anticipated to be completed within two years.  This roadway will be under the jurisdiction and control of the City of Palm Beach Gardens until it reaches the Beeline Highway, which is a state road.

The construction and reconfiguration of the Beeline Highway is a state FDOT project.  The project is expected to take several more years to complete and the City has been told that lane closures on Northlake Blvd. will occur over the next three months.  These locations, including the Beeline intersection, are not in Palm Beach Gardens.   The FDOT oversees the Beeline Hwy. and Northlake Blvd. intersection improvements as well as numerous other improvements within the Beline Hwy. corridor.  The FDOT and its contractor are in full control of the maintenance of traffic and are constructing the project in phases so as to limit roadway closures and disruptions.  The city offers input on the closures and maintenance of traffic, but it is up to the FDOT to implement this process. 

The Avenir development was planned as a mixed-use community with residential, schools, hospitals and medical services, employment centers, civic spaces, and a vibrant mixed-use town center that is under construction. The design intent of Avenir is to capture traffic not only from the proposed homes, but also from the surrounding area. The required roadway construction was included in the development order to provide traffic mitigation from the development.  Concerns have been raised about the movement of people, including bicycles, around Avenir.  The PBG development order for Avenir requires bike lanes and up to 12-foot sidewalks for multi-model transportation to be used for pedestrians, bicycles, and golf carts, along with crosswalks and bus stop locations.  Traffic signals are also part of the development order for Avenir that are planned to have five intersections at buildout.  However, the traffic signals must be administratively approved by the PBC Traffic Division that controls all traffic signals throughout Palm Beach County.  Approximately 890 homes have been built through 2024.

It should be noted that the Westlake development by Minto is located on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and was approved for 6,500 residential units, which equates to approximately 17,000 residents in total.  Approximately 3,000 of the homes are already built and are continuing at a rate of 40 homes per week.  Additionally, 2.2 million feet of commercial use is planned.  Moreover, the western unincorporated areas of the Acreage and Loxahatchee also have a number of new homes built, along with existing homes that equate to an estimated population of 50,000.  These combined areas have only two major east/west roadways, that add significant traffic to the area.  The two include Okeechobee Blvd. to the south and Northlake Blvd. to the north.   The County has plans for an expanded 60th St N. in the future.  The S.R. 7 Extension project is a reliever road expanding S.R. 7 from 60th St. N. to Northlake Blvd. It currently involves a dispute and litigation between FDOT, Palm Beach County, and the City of West Palm Beach. Palm Beach Gardens has no jurisdiction or involvement in this ongoing dispute.

UPDATED: 12/4/24