The Town Council of Jupiter on the evening of Jan. 7 received an annual traffic update from staff and approved a resolution to begin public outreach on preserving Center Street's historic “Main Street” character while addressing safety and congestion.

Traffic emerged repeatedly as the top concern. Resident Craig Mowery told council: "the main main question is what's the most important thing to residents of Jupiter? And what I heard was that the general answer was traffic." The presentation that followed reviewed multi-year vehicle trends, crash statistics and mitigation projects led by the town and partner agencies.

Town engineers and the police highlighted data and countermeasures. Thomas Hernandez, director of engineering and public works, summarized the council's strategic aim to keep traffic reporting as an annual recurring item. Traffic engineer CJ Lan walked through long-term counts and capacity analysis and said some arterials are operating below desirable levels of service, while crash reductions have followed recent infrastructure work. Jupiter Police Chief Michael Barbera said total crashes declined 5% year over year and noted that Indian Town Road accounted for a large share of crashes on major town roadways.

Council and staff reviewed mitigation work in progress: the town-completed Jupiter Beach Road (A1A) roundabout (2024); a multi-stage package of projects on Indian Town Road that includes eastbound and westbound improvements, an FDOT-funded segment in design, and a proposed adaptive traffic signal control pilot; county projects on Center Street and Central Boulevard; and smaller, neighborhood traffic-calming projects the town implements through resident requests. Staff said some Indian Town Road work is being co-funded by the town to accelerate delivery ahead of county or FDOT schedules.

During the consent/regular agenda the council approved resolution 325, authorizing public outreach for the Center Street corridor east of Loxahatchee River Road and continuing partnership work with Palm Beach County and regional partners. The motion to approve the resolution passed with the council signaling unanimous support.

Councilors discussed the practical limits of town authority because many arterial segments are county or state-owned. Hernandez and other staff members said the town maintains a publicly available road-ownership map on the engineering page of the town website and will post it for easier public access. Councilors and staff also discussed pursuing FDOT and county funding, coordinating with the county’s Transportation Master Planning effort and continuing local contributions where warranted to speed projects.

Members asked staff to press for reactivation of a previously awarded grant for adaptive signal control technology along Indian Town Road; councilors said such technology could be implemented faster than full roadway reconstruction and could improve flow in the near term. Staff said they will follow up with county partners, FDOT and regional authorities to determine next steps and funding responsibilities.

The traffic presentation and the related Center Street resolution were among several agenda items the council handled that night; staff and councilors said they will continue quarterly and annual reporting on traffic, incorporate outcomes into the town’s strategic plan, and pursue intergovernmental advocacy to secure state and county funding.