Federal, Dixie could become one-way roads

A plan is being proposed to make Federal and Dixie highways one-way streets in the downtown area. The city would need to get approval from Palm Beach County, which maintains Dixie, and the FDOT, which has jurisdiction over Federal.

Boca hopes to free up space for sidewalks, end traffic congestion

One day down the road, Federal Highway might not lead both directions in Boca Raton.

Federal could become a one-way street heading north, and you’d have to take Dixie Highway to go south.

The conversion of the two highways into one-ways is under consideration between Mizner Park Boulevard and SW 18th Street, south of Camino Real.

The goal: Eliminate growing traffic congestion and free space for wider sidewalks and bike paths.

As new high-rises bring hundreds of people downtown, Boca predicts that multiple roads will drop to the lowest rating set by the Florida Department of Transportation.

The FDOT rates roadways on a scale with “A” being the best and “F” the worst.

FDOT data from 2014 estimates that stretches of Federal will fall into the “F” category by 2040.

“If we do nothing, we’re going to have multiple failing intersections in our downtown,” Boca Mayor Susan Haynie said.

Currently, Federal Highway (also designated as U.S. 1) is two or three lanes in each direction, and Dixie Highway is two.

They would be converted to three lanes heading north on Federal and three lanes south on Dixie. The project would cost $48.8 million and take about 15 years to complete, according to the city’s project consultant, Delray Beach-based Kimley-Horn. It’s possible that the project also could get county, state and federal money, which Boca city staff said they would seek out.

The change would free space for wider sidewalks and enhanced storefronts along the roads, said Jim Sumislaski, a representative of Kimley-Horn.

“It does help utilize the pavement better,” Sumislaski told council members last week.

It also would be an opportunity for

the city to install a bike path network, Sumislaski said.

But there are drawbacks, he said. Speeding probably would increase, and it could be more difficult for drivers to get to businesses or recover from wrong turns.

It could be a temporary inconvenience for some businesses, said lawyer Michael Liss, whose firm is downtown.

“I think it would be a positive,” said Liss, who also heads the Downtown Business Alliance, a networking coalition of businesses in the area. “But it isn’t high on my priority list.”

U.S. 1 already is split in Delray Beach, where it leads north on Southeast Sixth Avenue and south on Southeast Fifth.

A similar one-way setup exists in West Palm Beach.

In order for the plan to work in Boca, the city would need to get approval from Palm Beach County, which maintains Dixie Highway, and the FDOT, which has jurisdiction over Federal.

Converting Federal would require major reconstruction to eliminate the median and possibly one of the travel lanes, said FDOT District 4 spokesman Chuck McGinness.

Dan Grippo, Boca’s director for development services, said the city would have to look at improving each intersection one by one if officials chose not to go forward with the project.

“They’re going to fail regardless,” Grippo said. “So we should do something with those intersections in the next few years.”

“If we do nothing, we’re going to have multiple failing intersections in our downtown.”

Susan Haynie, Boca mayor

JOE CAVARETTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER