Commission discusses Lucerne Park widening, Willowbrook bypass and 2025 legislative priorities

Commissioners and staff spent significant time on transportation and the city’s draft legislative priorities for the 2025 session, focusing on Lucerne Park Road, a proposed Willowbrook bypass, and related relief projects.

Staff told the commission that the FDOT has completed a planning, design and environmental (PD&E) study that covers the corridor, which allows the department to begin programming right‑of‑way and construction funding. Staff said right‑of‑way acquisition for the Lucerne Park Road widening from MLK Boulevard to Avenue Y is listed in the FDOT five‑year work program for fiscal year 2025–26, with construction shown in 2027 and funds becoming available July 2027. The commission noted that a separate signalization improvement at the intersection near the gas station has construction funds available July 2024 and could begin as early as fall 2025.

Commissioner Danson pressed staff on immediate relief for congestion and whether the commission’s prior offers of local funding had been firm. Staff said FDOT’s adopted PD&E “locks in” the corridor study and enables subsequent funding rounds, and that the city remains in ongoing coordination with FDOT and developers on concurrency for nearby subdivisions.

Separately, staff described a proposed Willowbrook bypass road that would use already‑dedicated right‑of‑way tied to a subdivision plat. The city has right‑of‑way in hand but lacks construction funding and must address a canal crossing and other engineering challenges. Staff said the city plans to include Willowbrook as a legislative ask for state and federal appropriations, calling it “a great project for the state to get behind” because it would relieve traffic on a heavily used state roadway.

Commissioners also raised Sage Road as a local relief connector and discussed adding it to the legislative platform. Other items staff recommended for the platform include electric vehicle infrastructure deployment tied to federal‑to‑state funding, restoring or increasing cultural arts funding (including potential support for the Ritz Theatre), continued backing for 1‑Water policies, and grant programs such as SunTrails and the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Staff also flagged policy areas they expect to defend or monitor this session: preservation of local business tax receipts, utility fund transfers and surcharge policies, and anonymous code‑complaint legislation. City staff proposed an additional, more novel request: requiring communications companies to inventory lines attached to utility poles and remove abandoned or out‑of‑service aerial lines to reduce hazards and restore passable routes after storms.

On federal priorities, staff identified airport matters — including seeking a dedicated radio frequency for Gilbert Field and continued work on a remote air traffic control tower, both requiring Federal Aviation Administration engagement — and said they planned a late‑April trip to Washington, D.C., to meet new agency personnel and pursue appropriations for projects including Willowbrook.