Cooper City holds forum on Hiatus Road roundabout; community poll shows about 80% oppose

Cooper City convened a public workshop to present two roundabout design alternatives for the Hiatus Road intersection near Embassy Lakes and Rock Creek, describing a decade‑long planning process and crash statistics that staff said justify a construction solution. City Manager Alex Ray told attendees the project is at about 60% design and that the City Commission will make the final decision on whether to proceed to final design and bidding.

Traffic engineer Diana White, part of the consultant team, described Alternative A as a larger circle with an exclusive northbound right‑turn lane and about 9,500 square feet of right‑of‑way acquisition from Embassy Lakes, with an estimated construction cost of about $2.4 million; Alternative B was a smaller‑diameter circle with an estimated cost near $1.9 million. "Alternative A ... estimated cost of construction is about 2,400,000," White said. Akunu Bridal, the city's utilities director and acting city engineer, explained that other common calming measures had been ruled out by traffic warrants or roadway classification, leaving a roundabout as the feasible geometric solution.

Residents voiced widespread concern about driveway and gate closures, traffic stacking, landscaping impacts and construction disruption. Dean Lashbrook, president of the Embassy Lakes homeowners association, said the association opposed the roundabout. The meeting closed with an interactive poll: staff reported about 169 ballots cast and roughly 19–20% for the roundabout options versus about 80% opposed; Alex Ray said the poll and meeting record will be presented to the Commission for its decision.