Serving as the main access road to federal, state, and local offices, Banyan Boulevard also functions as a gateway into downtown West Palm Beach for many employees and residents. The corridor provides access to the waterfront and a connection to the heart of the downtown entertainment district. The goal of this corridor redevelopment was to create a vibrant street and a downtown gateway, prioritizing pedestrians and cyclists, and designed with alternative mobility infrastructure in mind, as well as safe accommodation of automobiles.

Typical roadway sections were developed to transform the corridor into a bicycle and pedestrian-friendly link while adhering to current Florida Design Manual standards and meeting an acceptable level of service based on adopted criteria. The recommended typical section incorporates a raised protected cycle track for the length of the corridor. This alternative protects cyclists from vehicular conflicts and reduces the width of pavement which lends itself to slower driving speeds. The use and placement of the canopy trees creates a sense of enclosure and visual order which is currently lacking. Due to the urban setting, soil cells installed underneath the sidewalk were a key component to the overall design and ensure the canopy trees would have enough soil and water to thrive. Bios wales planted with native ground cover were used to alleviate drainage issues throughout the corridor. This design reinvents Banyan Boulevard as a corridor prototype for multi-mobility in the City.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Streetscape & Urban Design
• Bike/Ped Facility Design
• Low-Impact Design (LID)
• Complete Street
• Green Infrastructure
• Traffic Calming

Planning and Urban Design

The Banyan Boulevard “Complete Street” Project is more than a physical redesign of this historically significant downtown West Palm Beach corridor. In many American cities, the role that roads play may be more than just a means of travel; they serve as gateways, landmarks, connections and unfortunately, at times, dividing lines. WGI Planners have wide-ranging experience with redevelopment activities that involve removing social barriers often created by the corridors within a community. Properly executed, this project has the power to unite, both physically and socially, the adjacent historic West Palm Beach neighborhoods and business districts, and the people who reside and work within them.

The Banyan Boulevard project involved two phases; planning and design as Phase 1 and permitting, bidding, and construction as Phase 2. Future design considerations, which were identified to address safety, public art, future development projects, landscaping, and intersection improvements, were incorporated into the public engagement and outreach efforts, which included hosting public meetings, conducting surveys, and keeping residents informed on the project status. This is an important project intended to fulfill the City’s vision of removing the physical and social barriers that the roadway creates, while at the same time reestablishing the corridor as a prominent gateway to the City of West Palm Beach.