Calling it unnecessary and costly, Palm Beach County commissioners have again rejected a proposal to widen a stretch of Northlake Boulevard near western Palm Beach Gardens to eight lanes from six.
Commissioners on Aug. 26 voted 5-1 to deny the project, with Mayor Sara Baxter casting the lone vote in favor. Commissioner Bobby Powell was not present for the meeting and did not participate in the vote.
Northlake Boulevard is a major east-west route that connects the central and western communities with the eastern parts of the county. It provides access to the Beeline Highway, Florida’s Turnpike and Interstate 95.
During the Aug. 26 hearing, county planners again sought approval to widen Northlake's right-of-way between the Sandhill Crane Golf Course
in western Palm Beach Gardens and North State Road 7 to 142 feet from 120.
Reports for the western communities of Avenir, Westlake, and Indian Trail Groves indicated that widening Northlake is necessary to accommodate the traffic that the road is projected to bear, according a report submitted by the county staff.
But officials in Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach have opposed making it eight lanes, saying more lanes could lure more traffic to the heavily traveled roadway. The county commission rejected a similar right-of-way proposal in 2023.
During public comments on Aug. 26, Palm Beach Gardens Mayor Dana Middleton described the expansion to eight lanes as "premature," saying that there are other roadway projects to address traffic in the works, including an extension of Coconut Boulevard from Northlake to the Beeline Highway that is slated to be completed in January.
She noted the some stretches of Northlake are still being widened to six lanes.
"We're not asking to ignore traffic. We're asking that you be thoughtful in solving it," Middleton said. "Let's complete the six-lanes. … Let's evaluate the traffic demands, what it actually looks like, before we permanently commit to this corridor eight lanes. Eight lanes creates traffic."
Asked whether expanding the right-of-way would require taking land or properties by eminent domain, County Engineer David Ricks said his staff would need to conduct an analysis to make that determination.
Commissioner Maria Marino, whose district includes Palm Beach Gardens, said she opposes to the project and asked why it was again being presented to the commission after multiple rejections. She noted that the proposed cost to acquire, design and construct the right-of-way was over $36 million, up from $19 million in 2023.
"This is uncalled for, overly expensive and doesn't solve the problem," she said.
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Plan to widen Northlake Boulevard in western Gardens fails again
