master plan update - City of Boca Raton

SECTION CFRAMEWORKSEast Palmetto Park RoadTwo alternatives have been tested forPalmetto Park Road, both with the goalof establishing a better pedestrian-vehiclebalance.Alternative 1: Thee-lane section withmedian. The effects of creating a threelanesection of Palmetto Park Roadbetween Mizner Boulevard and NE 5thAvenue do not appear to be overly burdensome.The Boca Raton DowntownDRI Report indicates that 865 cars perhour in the peak direction are expectedby the year 2020. This is well withinthe capacity of one moving lane in eachdirection, plus a center turn lane, in asection with no traffic signals. Accordingto City Engineering staff analyses,the intersections on either end of thecorridor (Palmetto Park Road at MiznerBoulevard and NE 5th) would operateat no worse than vehicle level of serviceD under the proposed configurations.Even if this level of capacity werenot available, reduced peak hour vehiclelevels of service in a downtown areaare common and can even be desirablewhen trying to create a balancedenvironment. In addition to daily traveldemands, this street is an importantemergency evacuation route for islandresidents. A population of the sizeexpected to be on the island could easilybe evacuated over a two-to fourhourperiod in two outbound lanes inthe case of weather or other type ofemergency, depending on traffic controland street operation plans. A three-lanesection would allow this two-lane outboundtype of operation to occur easily.As indicated in the plan, the middlelane should have a different paving surfaceand would also be used by emergencyvehicles or when there is a vehiclestopped in the moving lane. It can alsobe a second stacking lane for cars waitingwhen the bridge is closed.The detailed design of theseimprovements will require special careto align with the lanes on the bridge.We recommend that the transition takeplace east of Fifth Avenue.Alternative 2: In the course of the planningprocess, the design team evaluatedan alternative concept. By eliminatingboth the parking lane and the median,it will be possible to both provide fourmoving lanes and expand the width ofthe sidewalks on both sides. The Citycould consider operating this as a fourlaneroad during the day and then usethe outside lanes for parking in the evening.The cross section indicates that thesidewalk areas have sufficient dimensionto encourage the landscape treatmentillustrated in the perspective. However,there is a greater distance from curb tocurb for crosswalks located at intersectionsthan the three-lane option.We recommend the three-laneoption, in part because it provides themost flexibility for emergency vehiclesin the event of a blocked lane.Before view of East Palmetto Park RoadImproved pedestrian environment on EastPalmetto Park Road28