Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Corridor between Brightline and Himmarshee Village getting facelift
Downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Southwest Second Avenue, at least the part from Broward Boulevard to Himmarshee Village and running beside the Florida East Coast Railway train tracks, is going to get a major facelift.
It’s just one block, but if you’re trying to navigate downtown from the Fort Lauderdale Brightline Station to, say, the restaurants and bars of Southwest Second Street to catch a show at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts or check out an exhibit at the Museum of Discovery and Science, then the proposed makeover could prove helpful.
“The street currently has potholes, puddling, limited lighting — making it dark at night, and portions of the sidewalk and roadway are broken,” explains Elizabeth Van Zandt, executive vice president of the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Development Authority, which is
spearheading the effort.
How long will it take?
The re-design is projected to take about four months with construction starting sometime between April and June 2019.
“This project is an effort to revitalize an important connection to and from the Himmarshee Village District,” Van Zadt said. “This will benefit both current and future residents, employees, visitors and Brightline passengers that want to explore [downtown Fort Lauderdale]. As an entertainment district, the Himmarshee Village area serves as a western gateway to the core of [downtown] and we want it to be representative of the world-class community we serve.”
How the redesign will help
The portion of Southwest Second Avenue (which is also called Moffat Avenue south of Broward Boulevard) being made over would be the most likely path for Brightline travelers to access downtown Fort Lauderdale’s different districts.
“The streetscape is being designed to accommodate everyone – from the repeat customers to those visiting our blossoming downtown – for both daytime and nighttime conditions,” Van Zandt adds. “As just one block in a bigger network, the redesigned SW Second Avenue will serve as an example of a flexible street, a space that is adaptable based on the needs.
How much will it cost?
The budget for the project is $750,000. The funding comes in part from grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration. The same grants were used last year to help pay for the Riverwalk extension along the New River to the Stranahan House.
What’s still being decided
Whether or not parking will be allowed is still to be determined.
And art will play some part in the streetscape facelift. “We anticipate that artistic elements will be integrated into traditional streetscape elements,” Van Zadt says. “This could include a special design on the roadway or sidewalk, unique street furniture, or it could be in the form of standalone art such as a sculpture or mural.”