In an effort to tackle congestion at one of Palm Beach’s busiest intersections, the Town Council approved funding to design a traffic signal for the intersection of Bradley Place and Sunset Avenue.
Public Works Director Paul Brazil told council members during the Aug. 13 meeting that the resolution seeking funding was the result of a town-commissioned study to see if a signal was needed. The study, led by Susan O’Rourke Engineering and Planning, used three datasets: one collected by O’Rourke’s firm; another collected by the town; and a third collected by The Corradino Group during its traffic and parking study, Brazil said.
“We gave all of that to Ms. O’Rourke’s firm, and it turns out that a traffic signal is warranted in that area,” Brazil said.
However, there’s a problem.
According to Brazil, it normally takes roughly a year to construct and install a traffic pole’s mast arm, the horizontal pole on which the signals are mounted.
“One of the two companies who makes them just went out of business,” Brazil said, noting that he didn’t know how long the pole’s construction would take.
That’s why the town needs to start the design process as soon as possible, he said.
Council Member Ted Cooney asked Brazil if the council would have a chance to review the project again before the signal is installed.
“All of that will come back to you,” said Brazil. “This is (because) we know we have a long lead time issue when it comes to material.”
Cooney also asked about its impact on the town’s budget, since the town would be taking the project’s $148,782.92 budget from the long-term Crosswalk Improvement Project.
Since the traffic signal wasn’t part of the town’s yearly budget, staff had to allocate funding from another project, Brazil said.
Deputy Town Manager Bob Miracle noted that the project budget under the council’s review was just for the traffic pole’s design.
“In regard to this whole project, and what we are looking at … that’s going to cost about a million dollars,” Miracle said. “And that’s something else that’s not funded.”
Council Member Julie Araskog asked if the town would have to set aside an additional $1 million on top of the funding already requested.
Brazil said the final cost of the project will depend on design of the mast arm, and emphasized that town staff would already know how to fund the project by the time it returns to the council.
Council President Bobbie Lindsay said the project is part of the town’s efforts to address traffic in the area and eventually turn Sunset Avenue back into a two-way street.
“We’ve had a lot of input from residents (about) making it a two-way street, and this is part of that process,” Lindsay said.
Sunset Avenue was turned into an eastbound one-way in Aug. 26, 2023, as a means of easing the flow of traffic.
While the town is looking at potentially reverting Sunset Avenue to a two-way street, Brazil said that change isn’t expected to come until well after the traffic signal’s installation.
Mayor Danielle Moore said considering the delays the project is expecting to encounter, the only option for the town is to begin the process.
The council unanimously voted to approve Resolution No. 099-2024 to allocate $129,382.92 for a purchase order to consultants Kimley-Horn and Associates for the design of the mast arm and establish a project budget of $148,782.92.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected].
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Publish date : 2024-08-20 15:06:00
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