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Delray Beach officials defend safety design as residents press for fixes on Barwick Road
Summary
Staff and commissioners said federally funded Barwick Road work prioritizes pedestrian safety, shortening turn radii and adding a 10-foot shared-use path; residents and city commissioners pressed staff to correct narrow asphalt widths and adjust stop-bar placement before the project finishes in summer 2026.
Delray Beach public works staff told the City Commission that the federally funded Barwick Road project is designed to make the corridor safer for pedestrians and cyclists while complying with current engineering standards.
Public Works Director Missy Barletto said the project — funded through a Palm Beach County Metropolitan Planning Organization grant and administered by FDOT — includes milling and resurfacing, underground drainage improvements, a 10-foot shared-use path on the east side of the road, a 6-foot sidewalk on the west side, and mid-block pedestrian crossings with school-area safety features. Construction is scheduled to be complete in summer 2026.
Barletto explained the rationale for shortening turning radii in residential sections: reducing the radius from previous 28–30-foot commercial-style turns to 15 feet shortens crosswalk distance and reduces the time pedestrians are in the roadway. She showed plan measurements and said the change produced only minor reductions in asphalt width (for example, Maurice Drive pre-construction width at 21 feet versus 20.82 feet after work — a two-inch difference). She said the design engineer will redraw plans where constructed asphalt widths fell below the city’s minimum, and that those lanes will be widened before project completion.
Residents urged commissioners and staff to inspect the site in person and fix what they described as tight turning radii at Francis Drive and other side streets. Miguel Poveda and others said garbage trucks and service vehicles must swing into the opposing lane to navigate the new geometry, and several speakers said sidewalks and stop-bar placements put pedestrians closer to travel lanes than they expect. Staff responded that fire apparatus has tested the new turns and can navigate them and reiterated that some corrections — including widening Francis Drive where necessary — are already planned.
Barletto directed residents to project photos and details at barwickproject.com and said the contractor will address the narrow asphalt sections and stop-bar locations before the project concludes. Commissioners asked staff to continue outreach and to follow up with additional on-site reviews and photographic documentation for residents who requested it.
The commission did not take a formal vote on design changes at the meeting; staff said the timeline still allows for targeted adjustments before construction completion.
