Joel EngelhardtEight public meetings planned in the next two weeks to start building Palm Beach County transportation master plan.
Got traffic?
Palm Beach County consultants want to know.
A listening tour marks the first stage in a yearlong effort to develop a countywide transportation master plan.
Residents are invited to any one of eight meetings over the next two weeks to sound off on what bothers them about transportation in the county and what they would like to see to make it better.
Attendees can drop in at any time during the posted hours to learn more, speak directly with the project team and submit comment cards.
“What we’re really doing here is helping you through the process of deciding what your county is going to be like when it grows up,” consultant Victor Dover said July 18 at the kickoff event for the one-year, $1 million master planning effort.
It’s not just moving cars but also finding alternatives to prepare the rapidly growing county for a future when the population will be far greater than it is now.
“What this process is really going to do is take a global look at how we need to move people in our county,” County Mayor Maria Marino said at the kickoff. “Are we able to fund PalmTran more in the future? Are we able to fund Tri-Rail Coastal Link in the future?”
The consultants, led by international engineering and planning conglomerate WSP, have been gathering information from the county and its 39 cities in its “discovery” stage, the first of four. The next stages are envision, strategize and enact.
They’ve created a website at PBCMoves.com.
They are planning two meetings a day for the next two Wednesdays and Thursdays. The schedule is:
Wednesday, Sept. 10
Noon to 2 pm: Palm Beach Gardens Branch Library, 11303 Campus Drive, Palm Beach Gardens.
6 to 8 pm: Palm Beach State College, Loxahatchee Campus, 15845 Southern Blvd., Loxahatchee.
Thursday, Sept. 11
Noon to 2 pm: Palm Beach County Main Library, 3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach.
5 to 7 pm: Arts Garage, 94 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach.
Wednesday, Sept. 17
1 to 3 pm: Canyon Branch Library, 8915 Senator Joe Abruzzo Ave., Boynton Beach.
6 to 8 pm: Government Center Chambers, 301 N. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach.
Thursday, Sept. 18
2 to 4 pm: Riviera Beach CRA Community Center Clean and Safe Office, 1229 E. Blue Heron Blvd., Riviera Beach.
6 to 8 pm: Palm Beach County Vista Center offices, Hearing Room 47, 2300 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach.
Residents can submit their comments online as well at the PBCMoves website.
Joel is a founder, reporter and editor at Stet News. His award-winning newspaper career spanned more than 40 years, including 28 years at The Palm Beach Post, which he left in 2020. Joel lives with his wife in Palm Beach Gardens. He volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.
