A new half-mile stretch of Seacrest Boulevard between Northeast Second Avenue and George Bush Boulevard is radiantly bright with bike lanes, safer for pedestrians with new sidewalks, and smoother for motorists thanks to a $1.3 million beautification project.
“Data suggests even if people aren’t riding in the bike lanes vehicle traffic slowed down. The green was very jarring at first but most people have come around to it because the bike lanes and narrower streets slow cars down,” Mayor Cary Glickstein said.
A large group of Seacrest and Del Ida residents celebrated the completion of the project at a ribbon cutting with local, city and state officials. Some of the roots for the beautification project ideas took some shape over five years ago when neighbors and friends met in Del Ida resident Bonnie Altenheim’s living room for coffee and snacks.
“We got together that first night and talked about common goals, our community concerns, ideas to make our homes and our neighborhoods more attractive and above all safe,” Altenheim said.
Over the next five years, Del Ida residents worked closely with the Delray Beach Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) who Altenheim said, “kept us going in the right direction even though our plans were so grandioso,” including the bike lanes. “The truth is it’s a safety measure and all progressive cities are using vibrant, bright colors for their bike lanes,” Altenheim said.
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