RUMORS ABOUT CONTRACTOR QUITTING ARE WRONG, BUT THE NEWS IS BAD.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2023 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The nightmare that is Lyons Road between Clint Moore and Atlantic Avenue won’t get any better anytime soon. For nearly two years, the Engineering and Public Works Department for Palm Beach County has been managing delay after delay as the road is widened. Now, asked about rumors that the contractor quit, Palm Beach County officials issued this statement to BocaNewsNow.com.
“The contractor has performed all the work on the roadway that they are able to provide at this point. There are several items that are being worked on to allow the contractor to progress towards completion. These items and their status include:
A change order is needed to allow the roadway south of the L-38 bridge to begin. County staff has received a submittal from the contractor and plans to bring the change order to the Board of County Commissioners in their August 2023 meeting to allow construction to start south of the bridge in September 2023.
Utility issues have delayed work but the contractor has reached an agreement with the PBC Water Utilities Department (WUD) on the method of work for the reclaimed water main and the contractor has committed to provide WUD with the cost estimate for this work this week. The contractor needs information on the availability of supplies from the manufacturer to finalize costs.
County staff asked the contractor to provide costs to mobilize possibly multiple times to milling and applying friction to the southbound section of Lyons Road to allow for 2-lanes between 155th and Golden Gate Ave. The contractor committed to providing a cost to do this work this week.
There has been a delay in the temporary signal construction at Atlantic and Lyons Rd. The delivery of temporary poles has been pushed to August due to material procurement delays, according to the PBC Traffic Division. Once the temporary signal is in place, the contractor will begin working at the intersection of Lyons and Atlantic.
Since the final overall completion date cannot be estimated at this time due to the current circumstances, County staff has asked for a 4-week schedule and expects to have this next week.”
Expansion work on Lyons Road started in late 2021 after G.L. Homes built thousands of new homes in the Bridges, Boca Bridges, Seven Bridges, and Dakota, but was never required to build the infrastructure to support thousands of drivers entering and exiting their new communities 24-hours a day. Palm Beach County started the expansion work but it came to a sudden stop in 2022 when officials learned that underground maps — created in advance of the work — were wrong. They did not show utility lines that had to be moved. After more than six months of re-mapping and reorganizing, work resumed — only to stop again with temporary lanes remaining in place. Accidents are frequent on the stretch of Lyons Road. Read our previous coverage here.
Even with the Lyons Road nightmare, the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners just approved initial plans for G.L. Homes to build a mega-community west of U.S. 441, just north of Clint Moore. It is unclear if 441 widening will also be required, or if G.L. homes will be required to complete expansion before building is permitted to begin.
