Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Federal Highway lanes still closed
Fears of building collapsing perpetuate traffic headache
DANIA BEACH – Worst-case scenario: A two-story building in Dania Beach collapses like a house of cards, tumbling onto a Federal Highway crowded with commuters.
That fear is why lane-closing barricades remain on Federal Highway more than two months after a building nearly collapsed, city officials say.
Dania Beach officials hoped the lanes would reopen weeks ago. But the traffic headache that began when the mishap occurred on Aug. 9 will likely continue through mid-November, they say.
Some commuters have been going out of their way to avoid the barricaded lanes, which bottleneck with traffic during rush hour and even on weekends.
The building in question has shops on the first floor and apartments above. It’s been closed since Aug. 9, when construction crews dug a trench too close to the foundation and caused the wall to nearly come down.
At first, both northbound lanes were closed as a safety precaution for a couple blocks along Federal Highway just north of Dania Beach Boulevard.
About a month ago, one of the northbound lanes was reopened after crews installed poles to stabilize the building, said Colin Donnelly, assistant city manager.
But the lane closest to the building remains closed. And it’s going to stay closed until the building is repaired, state transportation officials have told Dania Beach officials.
In a best-case scenario, the lane will be reopened in a few weeks, Donnelly said.
“That’s assuming the contractor does the work in a timely manner,” he said. “The city is anxious for the work to get done. Traffic is bad enough without this.”
Vice Mayor Bill Harris, whose business is not far from the condemned building, sees firsthand the gridlock on Federal Highway day in and day out.
“The traffic is always backed up,” he said.
But since the barricades went up, it’s been much worse.
“Rush-hour traffic has been a bear,” he said. “I’m getting complaints [from residents]. I tell them it’s in the hands of the Florida Department of Transportation. We don’t have jurisdiction over the road.”
On Sunday morning, a motorcyclist was killed in a collision with a car right where the road narrows into one northbound lane, Harris said.
“The car ended up upside down and the driver had to be extricated,” Harris said.
Harris says he’s anxious to see the barricades gone and the building repaired.
“It’s a horrible eyesore with that gaping hole in the side of the building,” he said. “It’s just been a blight on the city since Aug. 9.”