BTactical Complete Streets Phase II | Broward County, FL

In 2021 the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (BMPO) created the BTactical Program as part of their Complete Streets Initiative. The program provides funding and technical assistance to municipalities in the region wishing to advance street enhancement projects using the Quick Build approach. Street Plans was engaged by the BMPO to lead the first two phases of the BTactical Program. 

The second project selected was in the Lake Ridge Neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale on NE 15th Avenue between Sunrise Blvd and NE 13th Street. The corridor experiences speeding issues and overlaps with the Broward High Injury Network (HIN). This location is also listed as a priority project in the Lake Ridge Neighborhood Mobility Master Plan adopted in 2015 (NMM), which proposes a lane elimination project on the corridor. 

The team hosted a series of in-person and virtual workshops, as well as door-to-door outreach efforts, that invited community members and stakeholders to share the challenges they experience along the corridor as everyday users and provide feedback on the proposed street design.

Street Plans and the project team refined the final pilot project design to reflect the feedback of stakeholders and residents within the Lake Ridge neighborhood, and the needs of the city.  Street Plans also came up with an asphalt art designs inspired on the local fauna and created a step-by-step implementation guide for the project. 

From May 12-15, 2022, Street Plans, the BMPO, the City of Fort Lauderdale, and over 100 volunteers executed a lane reduction by restriping the travel lanes and creating a 5 foot bike lane with a 5 foot buffer area; added nine new crosswalks, two pedestrian refuge islands, and over 60,000 square feet of asphalt art.

Within the first month of evaluation, the number of speeding vehicles on the corridor reduced by over 50%. The daily average speed on the corridor reduced from 40 mph to 35 mph. This pilot project installation allowed the City of Fort Lauderdale to deliver safety and accessibility benefits to the Lake Ridge Neighborhood without having to wait years for capital project funding approval.