Broward MPO picks Taft Street for Safe Streets planning: medians, raised crosswalks and shared‑use path proposed

The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization and consultant WSP presented a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) corridor plan for Taft Street in Hollywood, proposing a layered package of safety countermeasures including medians, protected left‑turn treatments, raised crosswalks and a shared‑use path on the north side.

James Kumar of the Broward MPO said the MPO received a $5 million SS4A grant to create a countywide safety action plan and identified 11 corridors for preliminary design; Taft Street (the city facility identified for this round) “bubbled up” because it appears in the county’s high‑injury network. “Hollywood ranked second in total crashes after Fort Lauderdale,” Kumar said, and “you rank third for killed and serious‑injury crashes.”

Consultant Christine Fanchee said a five‑year crash analysis of the Taft segment (limits shown to commissioners as roughly from the 70s to SR‑7/441) recorded eight severe (killed or serious‑injury) crashes and about 83 crashes per year along the segment. The data showed left‑turn and bicycle collisions were a primary concern; average travel speeds were in the mid‑40s mph on a posted 35‑mph roadway, the presentation said.

Fanchee described a conceptual section that narrows vehicle lanes, adds center medians to remove continuous two‑way left‑turn lanes, locates a shared‑use path for bicycles and pedestrians on the north side, aligns bus stops with marked crosswalks and introduces intersection upgrades (protected lefts, additional turn lanes and more queuing room at ramp terminals). “If we are able to redesign these streets … we’re able to get a 10 percent reduction of killed and serious injuries across the county just with this first tranche of 20 miles of corridor design,” she told commissioners.

The MPO and consultant are collecting public input; a community meeting was announced for Monday at Boulevard Heights Community Center at 6 p.m., and commissioners asked staff to ensure wide outreach and printed flyers to notify residents and businesses. The consultant said the project is in planning and design concept stages; implementation will require programming and construction funding if the measures move forward.

Why it matters: Taft Street is one of Hollywood’s busier north–south corridors. The plan would reallocate pavement space to reduce severe crash types (left‑turn and bicycle collisions) and add pedestrian connectivity in a corridor where speeds exceed posted limits.

Discussion vs. decision: The item was informational; staff sought commission feedback and public comment at upcoming meetings. No vote was required.