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Boca Raton agency updates downtown mobility plan, autonomous shuttle pilot and quick‑build safety projects
Summary
City staff reported rising Boca Connect ridership, described an autonomous shuttle pilot with fixed stops and limited hours, and previewed an East–West connectivity study examining at‑grade and grade‑separated crossings, quick‑build safety pilots and adaptive signals; staff said ADA service remains available via an ADA van.
Boca Raton officials gave the Community Redevelopment Agency an update Tuesday on a package of downtown mobility efforts that includes the Boca Connect on‑demand service, a limited autonomous‑shuttle pilot and an East–West connectivity study looking at pedestrian crossings across the railroad tracks.
Public Works and Engineering Director Zach Beard told commissioners Boca Connect exceeded roughly 3,500 total passengers in November and has seen about a 6.5‑times increase in ridership since its June 2024 launch, with wait times averaging about 7 minutes 45 seconds. He said staff hold a 10‑minute headway target and aim for a 95% connection rate, though connection rates have sometimes dipped into the mid‑80s during peak demand.
Beard said the city is piloting an autonomous shuttle that will serve five fixed stops and operate on a limited schedule (Thursday–Sunday, 5 p.m.–8 p.m.) while testing continues. "This is our opportunity to engage and have [residents] understand how it's gonna be used," Beard said, adding the pilot will be evaluated through January 2026 and staff will pursue NHTSA permitting as the program scales.
Commissioners asked about ADA access. Beard said the autonomous vehicle pilot itself is not ADA accessible but that Boca Connect’s contract includes a mandatory ADA‑equipped van to provide required service: "As part of our contract, we have an ADA van that is mandatory as part of our service," he said.
Brad Davis of Kimley‑Horn presented the East–West Connectivity Study, a three‑phase idea‑generation effort started in August that inventories potential at‑grade and grade‑separated crossings on Second Street, Palmetto and Camino. Davis said the study group has met with city staff, community stakeholders (including the 344 Group) and Palm Beach County and that concepts will be tested for technical feasibility and fatal‑flaw constraints. He said grade separations could range widely in cost depending on alignment and right‑of‑way constraints, with conceptual costs staff described during the presentation spanning roughly from $7 million up to $70–100 million for larger options.
Staff also described quick‑build safety pilots downtown that use high‑emphasis crosswalk materials, new sensors that automatically detect pedestrians (replacing push buttons), and overhead LIDAR monitoring to capture near‑miss data and turning‑movement behavior. Beard said those pilots will generate data to inform final designs and calibrations.
On signals, staff reported an adaptive signal system installed on Palmetto from 4th Avenue to Meisner that will require operation through one or two peak seasons to learn local traffic patterns. Commissioners asked staff to prepare budget and level‑of‑service analyses for potential expansion of vehicles and for the autonomous pilot’s interactions with Boca Connect.
The agency did not take formal action on the projects at the meeting; staff said they will return with budgetary detail, pilot results and refined concepts. The CRA adjourned at 2:20 p.m. and reconvened immediately for a workshop.
