Pines officials seek to widen Sheridan Street

PEMBROKE PINES — A gridlocked 4.4-mile stretch of Sheridan Street from Flamingo Road to Northwest 172nd Avenue needs to be widened, the city says.

“No question about it, during rush hours … it’s nearly immovable,” said Commissioner Angelo Castillo, adding he has at times been ensnared in the morass on hisway to City Hall.

At least 52,500 vehicles travel west each day past the intersection of Sheridan Street and Dykes Road and at least 39,000 travel east toward Flamingo Road, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. City

officials say the traffic jams are worsening as development and population continue to surge.

City commissioners on Wednesday night unanimously agreed to ask the county and state to add two lanes to the four-lane segment by Coquina Plaza, Pines Charter High School and one of the most densely populated sections of the city. They also want additional turn lanes at Dykes Road and at 172nd Avenue.

The process involves coordinating with Southwest Ranches to submit design, permit and other applications to the state transportation department and Broward County. It would likely take two years for the expansion to be complete, city engineer

Karl Kennedy said.

Widening would add a lane on each side of the road and would require traffic signals and intersections to be modified, Kennedy said.

Pembroke Pines officials say they get complaints about traffic daily and have been focusing on ways to alleviate it.

There are two major widening projects planned in the city: at Pembroke Road and Pines Boulevard. Pembroke Road ends at Southwest 196th Avenue but is to be lengthened to US 27. The design phase of that projectwill begin next year.

Pines Boulevard is to be widened

from to six lanes from four from 196th Avenue to US 27, but the start date for that project has not been set.

This month, officials discussed ways to decrease traffic near Somerset Academy and West Broward High School.

They evaluated several ideas, including creating a bus depot, increased carpooling and road widening.

City staff is studying those options.

JOE CAVARETTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Morning cummute traffic is backed up on Sheridan at the Dykes Road intersection in Pembroke Pines on Thursday. Plans are in the works to widen 4.4 miles of Sheridan.