Click here for a copy of the City's 13th Ave. Traffic Survey and map of those residents that responded:

As we all know by now, the Hollywood Blvd. project completed last summer by the Florida Dept. of Transportation (FDOT) has resulted in many unintended consequences such as major flooding in the Lakes area and the rerouting of our local traffic patterns throughout the neighborhood. FDOT, realizing that the project was poorly designed in the area of drainage, will be starting work this summer on a $660K project to fix the flooding problem they created with their poor drainage design. However, another unintended consequence is causing much distress to Lakes residents who live along 13^th Ave. The traffic has increased along 13^th Ave., especially to the north of Hollywood Blvd. as now the 13^th Ave. signalized intersection is the only way to go across the Blvd. These 13^th Ave. residents have taken this problem to the City of Hollywood. As a result of the their complaints about this traffic increase, the City of Hollywood requested that FDOT perform a traffic study of the affected area. That traffic study can be downloaded here:  Hollywood Blvd. FDOT Traffic Study.pdf

It’s important that we review the history of the Hollywood Blvd. project to better understand the problems that have resulted from FDOT’s design. FDOT approached the City in 2003 and said that the Blvd. was scheduled for repaving and would the City like to see any other improvements. FDOT was willing to earmark some budget money and wanted to know what the City wanted to do with the roadway. One idea that had been floated around for many years was a median down the middle of the roadway. Not only for cosmetic reasons but to help eliminate the accidents that occur when drivers cross the Blvd. at 14^th, 15^th and 16^th Ave. FDOT has two major requirements for any road improvement project: 1) justification and 2) consensus. The City had no problem with justifying a median along the Blvd. as the accident rate was high west of 13^th Ave. But the consensus requirement would involve a majority of Lakes residents approving any improvement plan. So the City came to the HLSCA to help generate consensus.

The HLSCA and the City held numerous public meetings with FDOT participating in 2004. As a result of these meetings and surveys, the HLSCA drafted a letter of recommendations to the City and FDOT. The majority of Lakes residents were fine with a median. However, the consensus and HLSCA recommendations included leaving alternate avenues open for north-south crossing (9^th, 11^th and 15^th Ave.) which, it was felt at the time, would be safer with a median in place. What we got instead from FDOT was a left turn only traffic scheme at alternate avenues and no way to cross the Blvd. except at the traffic signal at 13^th Ave. This, as it turned out, has increased the traffic along 13^th Ave. and has resulted in complaints from those residents.

Back to the traffic study commissioned by FDOT. This study was completed late last year and published in January. The study showed, for instance, that the traffic along the Blvd. has decreased since the project was completed, likely because drivers are using alternate routes such as Tyler, Polk and Harrison Streets. The study also showed that traffic has indeed increased somewhat on 13^th Ave., the Level of Service (LOS) on a scale from A (best) to F (terrible) was still a Level C. But Level C still means more traffic and for those 13^th Ave. residents, the increase is not palatable. The City, in consultations with the HLSCA and the 13^th Ave. residents, has decided to explore options to alleviate the increase in traffic. The HLSCA has suggested examining the reopening of 11^th and 15^th Ave. to crossing traffic as this would give drivers other ways to cross the Blvd. Because a fair amount of 13^th Ave. traffic is coming from Hallandale Beach and Dania Beach with drivers using the Lakes neighborhood streets to avoid Federal Hwy. and the dreaded Young Circle roadway, the City came up with some ideas to limit that traffic pattern by closing off other streets near the City limits. The 13^th Ave. residents, however, are requesting that the City and FDOT close the 13^th Ave. intersection to crossing traffic by building a barricade and converting the intersection to the same design that is in place at 9^th , 11^th and 15^th Aves. (left turn only, no crossing). The traffic light would remain for a pedestrian on-demand only crosswalk.

Hollywood Blvd. is a state road and governed by FDOT. As I mentioned above, FDOT requires both justification and consensus before they redesign or fund any changes to a state road. As of this writing, the only idea on the table to reduce traffic along 13^th Ave. is the closing or barricade option. However, the City was required to prove both justification and consensus for this scheme. To that end, the City has sent out a survey form to selected Lakes residents in May to see if a trial closure next year is something that these selected Lakes residents would agree to. Who is a "selected" Lakes resident that can participate in the survey? Only those residents that live in the area of 11^th Ave. to 15^th Ave. and Johnson to Washington Street. This area, in the opinion of the City Engineer, will be the area most affected by a permanent closure of the 13^th Ave. intersection. It is important to note that the City was surveying residents for a trial closure that would have occurred in early 2012. This trial closure would have last 90 days after which another survey would have been sent out to the same selected Lakes residents to see if the intersection closure was something residents could live with on a permanent basis. Closing the 13^th Ave. intersection will, undoubtedly, change some traffic patterns, not just for those selected residents but for many Lakes residents. Rather than crossing at the 13^th Ave. traffic signal, drivers will have to turn onto the Blvd., go down two blocks and either make a U-turn or a left turn and reverse direction to get where they want to go. It is likely that traffic will increase on other streets if the 13^th Ave. intersection is closed permanently. However, the Lakes neighborhood has spoken and the survey results were 3 to 1 against closing the 13th Ave. intersection.