The People’s Choice Award is awarded to a project that has helped advance Complete Streets efforts in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County. Projects can include quick-build or permanent and long-term projects. Safe Streets Summit attendees will have an opportunity to vote for the best Complete Streets-focused project.
Palm Beach County
1. Banyan Boulevard Complete Street
2. Lyons Road / Sansburys Way Separated Bicycle Lane
3. Clear Lake Trail
4. Dillman Trail
Broward County
5. Downtown Enhancement Project – Lauderdale By the Sea
6. Hollywood Mobility Hub
7. Prospect Road Complete Streets Project
8. University Drive Complete Streets Project
Miami-Dade County
9. The Nexus’ (Proposed plan for Rickenbacker Causeway entrance)
10. The Underline Phase 2
11. Restoration of Hobie Beach Park
Palm Beach County
The Banyan Boulevard transformation project in West Palm Beach exemplifies the shift toward creating safer, more equitable, and more livable streets through thoughtful urban design and infrastructure improvements. Originally a utilitarian corridor focused primarily on moving vehicles, the project reimagined Banyan Boulevard as a “complete street” designed to serve all users—pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders, and drivers—while fostering a sense of place. The comprehensive redesign of Banyan Boulevard introduced sidewalk-level bike infrastructure, highly visible crosswalks (including two rail crossings and a midblock crossing), upgraded pedestrian and roadway lighting, new traffic signals, rain gardens, shade trees, and other landscaping enhancements. Travel lanes for vehicles were narrowed to reduce speeds, promoting safer driving behavior. By integrating these features, the project prioritized safety, accessibility, and sustainability, ensuring a harmonious balance between mobility and community needs.
Impact on Safety
- Separation of Modes: Dedicated spaces for walking, biking, and driving reduced conflicts between different types of users, minimizing opportunities for accidents and creating a safer environment for all.
- Speed Management: Narrowed lanes encouraged slower driving speeds, reducing both the likelihood and severity of crashes.
- Emphasis on Crossings: High-visibility crosswalks and attention to the design of rail crossings improved safety for pedestrians and cyclists, ensuring clear navigation through potentially hazardous areas.
Impact on Equity
- Accessibility: By incorporating features like level bike paths and high-emphasis crossings, the project improved access for individuals of all ages and abilities, making the boulevard more inclusive.
- Multimodal Connectivity: The redesign supported diverse modes of transportation, enabling equitable mobility options for residents and visitors without relying solely on cars.
Impact on Livability
- Enhanced Public Space: Landscaping with shade trees, rain gardens, and other greenery created a more pleasant and inviting streetscape, promoting outdoor activity and interaction.
- Health and Wellness: Encouraging active transportation like walking and biking supported healthier lifestyles and reduced vehicle emissions, contributing to improved air quality.
- Community Identity: The transformation of Banyan Boulevard from an unremarkable corridor into a vibrant, multi-functional street reinforced its role as a vital connection to the city’s cultural, business, and entertainment districts.
This project marks the first separated bicycle lanes on a Palm Beach County-owned roadway. Running from Forest Hill Blvd. to Okeechobee Blvd., this nearly four-mile project includes a concrete curb to separate bicyclists from the main roadway, protecting them from vehicular traffic. Constructed by Palm Beach County project, this also includes the resurfacing of the roadway. As many cyclists use this roadway in the central part of Palm Beach County for bicycling, this provides an important connection to the bicycle network within the county. The Palm Beach TPA’s Local Initiatives funding program provided $5M in funding to support this $5.8M project.
Funded in part by the Palm Beach TPA’s Transportation Alternatives program, the Clear Lake Trail was completed in Summer 2024. This 8-foot shared use path runs along the west side of Clear Lake in West Palm Beach from Okeechobee Blvd. to Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. and offers spectacular views of nature, wildlife and bird watching. Constructed by the City of West Palm Beach, the trail is accessible for walking, bicycling and other outdoor activities and includes dozens of newly planted trees along the trail. The 1.5 mile trail also includes a boardwalk on the southern end, stretching over Clear Lake and equipped with lighting for nighttime. The Clear Lake Trail is part of the City of West Palm Beach’s Bicycle Master Plan.
Greenacres’ Dillman Trail exemplifies a community-driven initiative, constructing a 3/4 mile shared-use path to enhance connectivity. Partnering with Palm Beach TPA and FDOT, the trail promotes safe walking and biking to Cholee Lake Elementary School and parks. Awarded $700k from the Transportation Alternatives Program, the $950k project revitalized an underutilized greenway. Monthly Walk to School Days at the school now utilize Dillman Trail, fostering a healthier, active lifestyle. The collaboration showcases the power of local and regional partnerships in creating safe, accessible pathways, demonstrating Greenacres’ commitment to community well-being.
Broward County
When you stroll through our downtown, you’ll now enjoy expanded outdoor seating and sidewalks, new lighting, and landscaping. When COVID-19 restrictions were put in place, we still needed to support our local restaurants and businesses. Known for our small-town charm, we allowed our downtown restaurants and businesses to expand their outdoor seating with temporary sidewalk cafés. What we did not foresee was just how popular the temporarily expanded outdoor dining areas would become. In addition to hosting public meetings, we launched an online survey to gather feedback on certain design elements, shared information during Town Commission meetings and kept our community updated through the Town’s social media channels and weekly emails. We added 5,400 additional square feet of sidewalk café area dining, new landscaping, and new lighting elements that have truly enhanced our downtown area while maintaining our small-town feel. The project cost about $3.1 million, funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant.
Today, our residents, business owners, and visitors are all enjoying a beautifully enhanced downtown that promotes greater walkability, connectivity, and economic development for our businesses.
The Broward MPO partnered with the City of Hollywood to deliver the Hollywood Mobility Hub at SR-7 and Hollywood Boulevard. The Broward MPO was awarded a grant for the 441/SR-7 Mobility Hub by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The City of Hollywood provided local funding to the project to complement the improvements funded by the FTA. The project will not just include safety improvements to the existing infrastructure but will activate the public space that allows adjacent communities to walk and bike safely to the new linear park and to other destinations.
Improvements as part of this project include bus shelters and transit amenities, pedestrian lighting, a culvert bridge, patterned crosswalks, hardscape improvements and wayfinding. These improvements will provide safe multimodal connections, encourage physical activity, and create healthier communities. Additionally, this investment highlights the commitment by federal and local governments to invest funds in an area that has been historically underserved.
The Prospect Road, Complete Streets project, was identified in the Broward MPO’s SR-7 Corridor Study. This project represents how multiple agencies can collaborate successfully across jurisdictional boundaries to implement multimodal projects. This project provides access to multiple destinations along this corridor and surrounding areas. It also provides direct access from various neighborhoods along the corridor to transit service in SR-7. It is part of a larger multimodal network of facilities being implemented in the entire area. The completed project includes Complete Streets and safety elements such as buffered bike lanes, landscaping zones, ADA improvements, lighting upgrades, and sidewalk connectivity. These upgrades have improved the pedestrian and bicyclist overall experience by creating a welcoming street environment that is well-connected within the multimodal network in the cities of Oakland Park Tamarac and Fort Lauderdale.
The University Drive Complete Streets project in the City of Plantation exemplifies Broward MPO’s and FDOT’s commitment to delivering enhanced multimodal facilities along major arterials. This project was identified in the Broward MPO’s University Drive Study. Working together and with the City of Plantation, the team developed a project scope that addresses the needs of all the users of the road while respecting and abiding by current design standards. This project includes various Complete Streets elements such as buffered bike lanes, multiuse path, transit amenities, roadway lighting, pedestrian level lighting, ADA improvements, new pedestrian signals, and patterned high emphasis crosswalks. Working with the city of Plantation, the scope was adjusted to include the city and community’s vision. This included providing the 10’ path along the west side of the corridor, where many of the destinations are located and adding the proper lighting required.
Miami-Dade County
“The Nexus” long-term plan for the SW 25th/26th Ave intersections at S. Miami Ave and Brickell Ave. – recently shared as part of the Miami-Dade DTPW Rickenbacker Master Plan – is a singularly exceptional concept that could actually get built, linking The Underline with the Rickenbacker Trail, Commodore Trail, and South Miami Ave bike lanes. While, the idea is not built yet, the efforts to-date have resulted in a genuinely feasible concept.
Phase 2 of The Underline officially opened to the public on April 24, 2024, marking another transformative step in Miami’s journey toward creating vibrant, interconnected urban spaces. This 2.14-mile stretch connects SW 13 Street to SW 19 Avenue, seamlessly extending Phase 1, which runs from the Miami River through the historic Roads, Shenandoah, and Silver Bluff neighborhoods. With its thoughtful design and inviting features, this new segment enriches the lives of residents and transit riders alike. Highlights include separated pedestrian and bicycle paths, safer intersections crossings, upgraded trail lighting, and user-friendly wayfinding tools that make navigating Phase 2 effortless and enjoyable. At the heart of Phase 2 are three beautifully crafted amenity areas: the Simpson Park Playground Area, the Vizcaya Station Plaza, and the 17th Avenue Plaza. These spaces offer unique opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and fostering a sense of community.
The restoration of Hobie Island Beach Park along the Rickenbacker Causeway is a long-term, permanent project involved replacing over 150 non-native, invasive tree species with more than 250 native, saltwater-resistant trees. It also incorporated new stormwater management systems to prevent pollutants from entering the ocean from the roadways. The project features a separated bike lane and pedestrian path running one mile along the water, enhancing both safety and accessibility.
This restoration benefits the roadway and beach corridor, improving safety, beauty, and functionality. It has also enhanced the ecological health of the area while elevating the aesthetic appeal of this beloved local landmark.
With support from agencies such as Miami-Dade’s Department of Public Works, Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces, and the Florida Department of Transportation, the project reflects a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and community well-being, creating a safer and more sustainable public space.
