Boca Raton’s modernized Interstate 95 interchange at Glades Road remains a work in progress.
Known as a dynamic diverging interchange, because drivers go left instead of right over the highway, it opened on Jan. 30 but is hardly finished. Heavy equipment is all over the site, and there’s still a lot of scraped earth. As one resident posted on the community website Nextdoor, “In my next life, I want to own Bob’s Barricades.”
A spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Transportation said Monday that the project won’t be complete and open to its maximum capacity until May 1. FDOT had to open the interchange on a temporary basis, she said, because the configuration of the site made it impossible to finish all aspects of the project by one deadline.
In an email, the spokeswoman said, “Drainage structures, curb and gutter, sidewalk construction, and pedestrian signal installation activities are ongoing and could not be completed while maintaining traffic in the previous condition. The (interchange) will be repaved and restriped prior to the implementation of final configuration.” The state and the contractor, she said, are “expediting this work.”
When that work is done, the project will include another westbound lane through the interchange, another eastbound lane to the entrance ramp for I-95, another lane on the exit ramp from the highway onto eastbound Glades Road, another lane on the exit ramp to westbound Glades Road and another lane on Airport Road to westbound Glades Road. Both sides of Glades Road will have sidewalks and seven-foot bike lanes.
Despite the early complaints, state officials believe that travel will be safer when the work is done. According to the spokeswoman, there will be 16 conflict points—where crashes are possible—compared to 24 in a standard interchange. Drivers also will encounter two traffic lights if going through the entire interchange, compared to four.
Glades interchange first step to adding toll lanes
The interchange is a major part of the state’s work to add toll lanes through Boca Raton to Linton Boulevard. According to the FDOT spokeswoman, the completion date for that project remains late 2023.
“We will meet that,” the spokeswoman told me Monday. The state’s contractor, she said, completed two similar jobs on time and under budget during the worst of the pandemic.
Boca to discuss approval of Gumbo Limbo tower addition
On the agenda for tonight’s meeting of the Boca Raton City Council is approval of the bid to build a new tower at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.
Officials took down the original tower seven years ago. Repeated hurricanes and lack of maintenance had left the structure too dangerous to use. It also did not comply with the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.
Much discussion followed about details of the replacement. At one point, an elevator was proposed to make it ADA-complaint. The cost, though, was prohibitive.
Further discussion led to an acceptable design. The $2.715 million bid from Walker Design & Construction would include a multi-level tower and an “adjoining ADA-compliant ramp.” Both will connect to the boardwalk that runs throughout Gumbo Limbo. In addition, the reconfigured parking lot will include two ADA-compliant parking spaces and ramp that will allow access to the boardwalk for the disabled.
Though the city is overseeing the project, the money will come from the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District and from donations to the Friends of Gumbo Limbo. I asked city officials for a construction timeline but did not hear back in time for this post.
Another light Boca council meeting
It’s another unusually light meeting for the city council. Aside from the consent agenda and receipt of minutes from advisory boards, there is no business.
Special meeting to discuss Delray golf course bids
The Delray Beach City Commission will hold a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. today to discuss the proposed private-public partnership for the city’s golf course.
City officials posted the meeting early Monday afternoon. Commissioner Ryan Boylston said Mayor Shelly Petrolia asked to schedule it after last week’s public meeting on the proposal.
I was out of town, but I’m told that several golf course regulars opposed the idea of using private development on a portion of the site to pay for a new course. Under the six proposals, developers would create a new course—some with many more golf options—and a new clubhouse in return for leases to build residential and commercial projects.
Commissioners had hoped to choose a bidder by the end of March. I’ll have more after the meeting.
Delray to discuss three major lawsuits
After the commissioners talk about the golf course, they will meet in private to discuss three big lawsuits.
The first is from Christine Ferrigan, who worked in the city’s utilities department. Last year, she filed litigation in federal court, alleging that the city fired Ferrigan when she contacted the Office of Inspector General and the Florida Department of Health about alleged contamination of drinking water by reclaimed water.
The second and third lawsuits are long-running. They come from Michael Coleman and Jamael Stewart, formerly the top two officials in the neighborhood and community services department. Former Interim City Manager Neal de Jesus fired them, saying that they violated city policy on grant awards.
Coleman and Stewart claimed that the firing was unjustified. The county’s ethics office and office of inspector general have issued split decisions, the ethics office favoring Coleman and Stewart and the inspector general siding with the city. According to the court file, Coleman’s trial is scheduled to start March 13. Both defendants have asked to bifurcate their cases, with one portion for the finding and another for damages. The city opposes both motions.
Owner of Boca oceanfront lot rejects City’s settlement offer
Speaking of lawsuits, the owner of an oceanfront lot in Boca Raton has rejected the city’s offer to settle its lawsuit.
The city proposed paying $950,000, which the owned paid for 2500 North Ocean Boulevard, in return for the owner deeding the property to the city. The city council denied a permit that would have allowed a large home on the vacant site. The owner claims that the rejection was illegal.
Alan Kipnis represents the owner. He told me Monday that the trial, in federal court, could start in March or early April. I’ll follow up with the date is set.
FAU Living Room Theaters closes
This month, Living Room Theaters on the Florida Atlantic University campus became another COVID-19 casualty.
Having failed to draw audiences again at pre-pandemic levels, the theater closed Feb. 9. It opened in 2010 and became known for showing more so-called “art films” than the large movie complexes. FAU faculty will continue to use the space.
FAU announces 2023 football schedule
FAU has announced its 2023 football schedule, the first as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
The Owls are moving up from Conference USA to the higher-ranked AAC, which is losing three members to the even-higher-ranked Big 12. The change will mean more money as well as more challenges on the field.
FAU will start its 12-game schedule with seemingly easy games at home against Monmouth and Ohio University. Then, however, the Owls travel to Clemson, which won the national championship in 2016 and 2018.
After that comes a road game against Illinois. FAU then plays the required eight games against conference opponents. The top two teams will play for the AAC championship.
