BOCA RATON, Fla. — Construction is underway on an improved 8-foot-wide sidewalk in Boca Raton along the southside of Clint Moore Road.
Officials with the Florida Department of Transportation said in a written statement the paved asphalt sidewalk will span from El Rio Trail to NW Second Avenue and include pedestrian detectors, signals and an aluminum picket fence.
The project, a length of 0.41 miles, does not include the bridge over I-95 which will be replaced in a separate project set to begin in mid to late 2020.
Pat Fenlon lives nearby and takes advantage of the sidewalks on Northwest Second Avenue.
“I walk everyday rain or shine,” said Fenlon.
But she said she never walks along Clint Moore Road because she feels it is not safe.
“There is no sidewalk, and the grass is uneven, and I am not trusting that I won’t fall,” said Fenlon.
Right now, there are stretches of sidewalk that just end and turn to grass and weeds.
“I take the bicycle to the trail that goes along the canal and you have to stay on the roadway,” said John Zaccaria of Boca Raton.
Zaccarria says he would love to use the new sidewalk to make it safer for him.
“It would be a good way to get to those trails,” said Zaccarria.
FDOT plans to add better crosswalk signals and a fence separating the road and sidewalk.
Councilman Andy Thomson says projects like this help create a more connected city, and having better access from the El Rio Trail will help with that.
“Once you get off at Clint Moore, you got no where to go, and that is a shame, but that is not true anymore and it will be able to connect the eastern part of town,” said Thomson.
Drivers in the area should be aware that one eastbound lane will be closed during the construction.
FDOT said work will typically be performed between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. with an anticipated completion of summer of this year.
The cost of the project is estimated at $291,936.