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Cooper City chooses resurfacing-and-drainage plan for Sterling Road project
Summary
After months of study and public comment, the Cooper City Commission approved a lower-cost alternative that focuses on resurfacing, drainage fixes and signal upgrades for Sterling Road rather than wider pedestrian paths or bike lanes.
The Cooper City Commission voted to proceed with a resurfacing-and-drainage alternative for Sterling Road that keeps the project within available grant funding and defers more intrusive options such as a full shared-use path or lane widening. The commission approved the option that limits tree impacts and focuses on pavement, stormwater and signal upgrades at three intersections.
The vote followed a presentation from project consultants explaining four design alternatives and their cost estimates. Paula Riveros of the consultant team presented the options and the project's schedule, saying the grant funding for the project is “5,000,000” and that the design phase is about $480,000 with construction and restoration estimated near $4,000,000. The city manager told commissioners, “We only have $4,500,000, so the only one that's within that budget is alternative 4.”
The approved alternative — described in the consultant presentation as Alternative 4 — includes pavement milling and resurfacing, drainage improvements aimed at recurring local flooding and upgrades to three signalized intersections. It does not add bike lanes or a continuous 10-foot shared-use path, and the consultant said it avoids tree removals associated with the more intrusive options. The consultant's estimate for the chosen alternative was roughly $3,000,750.
Commissioners and residents had debated trade-offs in prior briefings and at a community meeting. Some residents and commissioners pushed for a shared-use path or a smaller roundabout at problematic intersections; others argued the city should pick the option that fits the available half‑penny surtax/MPO funding and address landscaping and lighting as possible add-ons. Commissioner Schroeder said the chosen alternative leaves money for landscaping and lighting if the bids come in under estimate.
City staff said final design is scheduled for completion in May 2026, with construction estimated thereafter, and that the engineering team will complete hydraulic calculations and drainage analyses before finalizing the plans. The manager said the city will continue coordinating with Broward County on intersection features that the county controls, and that the project intends to make the corridor acceptable for county maintenance once work is complete.
Next steps: staff will finalize the design through the consultant's engineering analysis, pursue permit approvals and proceed to construction procurement. Commissioners also directed staff to continue outreach to the Embassy Lakes and Rock Creek communities and to seek as much schedule flexibility as possible from grantors while the city tests less intrusive interim measures for problem intersections.
