Commissioner Maria Sachs convened a community summit where Florida's Turnpike Enterprise described active widening and supporting projects in southern Palm Beach County and heard repeated requests from residents for noise walls and environmental protections.

Brielle Gordon, community outreach specialist for Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, opened the agency's briefing and said outreach would include door-to-door contacts, traffic advisories and social media updates. Daniel Suarez, a project manager with the enterprise, gave the project details: “After construction is complete there will be 4 lanes in each direction,” he said, describing a widening from north of Boynton Beach Boulevard to north of Lake Worth Road with an approximate cost of $170,000,000 and an expected completion in late 2026.

Suarez also outlined interchange improvements at Boynton Beach Boulevard (project cost about $9,500,000, expected early 2026) and canal work to support widening from roughly Mile Post 79 to Mile Post 82 (about $30,800,000, anticipated completion early 2026). He told residents to expect periodic overnight lane closures and said noise walls are included in qualifying areas of the corridor.

Residents asked who is responsible for clearing debris and reported concerns about fumes, flooding and property values during and after construction. Gordon provided a Turnpike outreach phone number for construction concerns: (954) 934-1279, and staff said active construction teams and the project manager handle real-time cleanup while the enterprise issues weekly advisories and uses portable message boards and dynamic message signs.

Commissioner Sachs and residents pressed for early study of sound and air-quality impacts for neighborhoods that back up to the Turnpike; Turnpike staff said where the canal is moved the design generally stays within right-of-way and, in some areas, bulkhead walls are planned to stabilize banks. Staff characterized resident impacts from canal relocation as likely “negligible” in the broad view but agreed to follow up on localized concerns and to conduct community-specific studies if requested.

What happens next: Turnpike staff said later phases of the widening program are contingent on funding but are tentatively scheduled for 2027 and 2029 in adjacent segments. Staff will remain in the community after the forum to collect contact information and follow up on technical and environmental questions.