LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Town of Palm Beach and Lake Worth residents are navigating ongoing construction and preparing for major traffic delays as a highly anticipated street painting festival is expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors.
WPTV’s Zitlali Solache listened closely to residents on Palm Beach Island, who are already dealing with heavy congestion.
Many residents say during rush hour and construction, it's bumper-to-bumper on A1A/South Ocean Blvd. Now, with the annual Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival about a mile away, they expect traffic to get worse.
"They are tearing up our life here," said resident Dave Kaminer.
Kaminer lives in the town of Palm Beach, where traffic can back up with presidential visits, nearby bridge openings and now a road project underway.
"South Ocean Boulevard is backed up. It's as if it's a strainer. You just can't go," Kaminer said.
According to FDOT, the $5.9 million project stretches from Lake Avenue to Ibis Way on A1A South Ocean Boulevard. It will bring 5-foot bike lanes, new pedestrian signals with LED countdowns and a new traffic signal arm.
"They've gotta do what they gotta do and I don't know whether who schedules it and when and why, but anyways just caused a lot of scheduling issues for us," said another resident, John Kaufman.
The bridge that connects the island to Lake Worth Beach is another factor for Palm Beach residents.
"I know the bridge is going to open and close. I leave a margin for error. But I don't necessarily leave 20 minutes or a half hour," said Kaminer.
Lake Worth Beach city leaders are already sounding the alarm about the impact of the annual Street Painting Festival, with road closures starting Friday at 6 a.m. until Sunday at 10 p.m.
"That is the biggest thing that Lake Worth sees," said Kaminer. "And you're parking all over the area. People walk 10-15 minutes in to come to the festival and the idea of trying to get in and out is going to be brutal."
Meanwhile, residents are calling for a pause on construction.
"You would not pave Times Square on New Year’s Eve but they have no problem doing it here on the busiest weekend and busiest time of the year," said Kaminer. "I'm just going to be staying here. I will not leave until Sunday."
The project on A1A is set to be completed by summer of 2026.
