PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Congress Avenue, a major north-south roadway in Palm Beach County that stretches for 30 miles, is nearly complete. However, the most recent stretch of Congress Avenue north of Northlake Boulevard is currently a road to nowhere.
The segment opened to traffic in January, but right now, the road stops in a local community. Eventually, Congress Avenue will connect to Alternate A1A at Richard Road.
WATCH BELOW: Road to nowhere? New stretch of Congress Ave. leaves drivers lost
On Monday, WPTV found driver Susan Shaw a bit lost.
"We got up here, and I thought… ooh, it doesn't go through," Shaw said. "I thought Congress went through. I know Military (Trail) and some of these roads run straight north."
Technically, drivers can still get through, but the abrupt end has caused confusion. We spotted drivers making U-turns and one near-collision.
We spotted Bruce Heinze doing work on one corner.
"I noticed a lot more traffic down at this end," Heinze said.
He was not alone in telling me that when the road first opened, there were no street signs directing anyone anywhere.
"It seems to me that people are kind of confused on which way to go and where to head," Heinze said.
It will not be long before hundreds of people will call this part of the city home. At its March meeting, the Palm Beach Gardens City Council gave initial approval to a 432-unit apartment complex on the site of a former mobile home park. Final approval could come at Tuesday night's council meeting.
The apartments would be finished in the summer of 2028, which would align with the completion of Congress Avenue.
"Sure, it’s going to be a good thing because the Northlake 500 is so congested and people need to get on A1A down here," Heinze said.
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