WPB.news reader feedback - Broadway redevelopment
The following was sent in by WPB.news reader Ted Task. Following his submission is information from the city in response:
"The "plan" to be presented to Fla DOT is ,at best,an insult to the REST of us who live in the north end of the City. "25th to 42nd"! What about the REST of the City............it does run ALL THE WAY to 59th. IF we are going to ask The State to throw money at a long standing problem, why not ask for the entire segment of "Broadway"(the name is a joke) to be done? Our neighbors to the immediate north (Riviera Beach) obviously were more dedicated to their ENTIRE city than we are."
ACCORDING TO THE CITY:
The focus on areas south of 42nd street is being considered the first phase of the project. The Florida Department of Transportation has different rules regarding the road north of 45th street.
North of 45th street, Broadway has been designated by the state as part of an FDOT "Strategic Intermodal System (SIS)." This is FDOT-ese that indicates the state believes the portion of the road north of 45th street is considered an access path for the port. As a result, the rules regarding changing that stretch of Broadway are different (and more challenging.)
Since the plan calls for the elimination of two travel lanes, it would be less likely to be approved if it initially included a portion of road considered by FDOT to be a major port travel route.
If the redevelopment project south of 42nd street proves successful, it could make it easier for the city to convince the state to allow a similar effort north of 45th street. But because the area south of 42nd street is not part of the FDOT SIS, the chances of gaining FDOT approval are greater. That is why the city has chosen to begin there. But all of Broadway has been, and will continue to be, a priority for the city and the CRA. The city is currently rewriting the zoning codes north of 45th street to encourage more redevelopment and investment. This is a strategy that has proven successful in the Currie Park area.
