Bridge upgrade hampered

Historic Boca bridge cannot add bicycle lanes as part of renovations slated for 2016

Rebuilding a bridge to the past in Boca Raton may preserve its place in history. But it also may jeopardize the city’s vision of a bicycle-friendly future.

The aging Camino Real Bridge is on Palm Beach County’s list for a much-needed, $6 million renovation beginning in the second half of 2016. But because of its historic designation as one of the oldest bridges in Palm Beach County, there’s little room to expand the 76-year-old span, meaning any plans to widen it will jeopardize its status. The end result is that bikes and vehicles will still need to share the road when the ninemonth project is complete.

“As currently designated, it will not include bike lanes,” said Boca’s Assistant City Manager Mike Woika. “It’s a limitation we’re working with the county on.”

In reality, county transportation officials say they are powerless to improve the bridge beyond necessary repairs, even if it can’t accommodate the increased demand of use from cyclists.

“No one is happy about it and we’re sorry. But there’s nothing that can be done,” said Kristine Frazell-Smith, of Palm Beach County’s Roadway Production Division, which is in charge of the renovation project. “We would love to have bike lanes, but there’s just no room to add them.”

The drawbridge, built in 1939, links the city’s iconic Boca Raton Resort and Club with the barrier island and beach. The entire Camino Real Historic District corridor, stretching from Dixie Highway to A1A, was given its designation in 1997 at the behest of the city’s Historical Society.

As a result, the county says tied.

“If you’re going to mechanisms, there are Frazell-Smith.

What the county can allow for is a widen-

its hands are modify existing limitations,” says ing of the bridge’s two existing traffic lanes from 10 to 11 feet to better accommodate larger firetrucks and other emergency vehicles.

But Frazell-Smith adds, it would be structurally impossible to widen the bridge even farther for bike lanes while still maintaining its original historic mechanical integrity.

That explanation doesn’t completely satisfy Dr. Jonathan Berman, a local plastic surgeon and president of the Boca Raton Bicycle Club, whose 400 members frequent the bridge.

“There really ought to have an area that is bicycle friendly. We live in the 21st century.” Berman said.

While Berman understands the dilemma facing the county and wants to uphold the heritage of the bridge, he hopes the renovated span will at least be retrofitted to include concrete strips to replace the existing steel grates that many cyclists find slippery.

Boca Raton mayor Susan Haynie empathizes with bicyclists, but says in this case, preservation trumps progress.

“The historic designation of that whole corridor is very important to this community,” she said. “We have so few historical structures within our city that we really need to preserve them.”

While Haynie opposes further expansion to add extra lanes for vehicles, she hopes county officials will take a closer look at adding improvements to the bridge to accomodate bicyclists, if possible.

According to the website SaveOur Bridges.com, which keeps track of the nation’s most vulnerable bridges, the Camino Real span is “fracture critical,” a designation that means it could be in jeopardy of potential collapse.

Its deteriorating condition has prompted the county to lower its maximum allowable weight from 36 tons to 30 tons.

Transportation officials say rehabbing the crumbling structure has been in the works for several years. platzman@tribpub.com, 561-243-6634 or Twitter and Instagram @PhilLatzman