The Path Highland Beach Walks Every Morning Is Getting Its Overdue Fix
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
The three-mile shared-use path on the west side of A1A is getting three things this fall. It will be milled and repaved. Its eight mid-block crosswalks will get in-road flashing lights. The Town Commission is also deciding whether e-bikes and scooters can keep using it. All three lead back to the Florida Department of Transportation, which owns the A1A right-of-way, including the strip of pavement used for morning walks.
In January, Boca Daily News reported that FDOT's $8.3 million A1A resurfacing project through Highland Beach was "substantially complete." The project added five-foot bike lanes, and only punch-list work remained. The same report listed two open items. The vehicle-detection loop at the Linton Boulevard signal still needed to be restored, and the pedestrian-activated crosswalk lighting the town wanted had no funding yet. The first item got resolved quickly. The Coastal Star reported in February that the signal-detection loops were reinstalled in late January as part of the Delray Beach portion of the work.
The new road surface also caused a problem of its own. According to the town's funding request to the Florida Legislature, as Boca Daily News described it in August, the resurfacing changed elevations and drainage along the corridor. In places that led to flooding on the path, and pedestrians had to step into travel lanes. The town took on the job of regrading the path so it drains again.
The town received a $375,000 state appropriation on June 29, 2026. It pays for milling, repaving and regrading the A1A shared path and for in-ground lighting at the A1A crosswalks. In his October 2026 Manager's Monthly, Town Manager Marshall Labadie credited the funding to Representative Peggy Gossett-Seidman working with his office.
The state money covers most of the cost but not all of it. Here is how The Coastal Star reported the split in July:
| Piece of the project | Contract | State share | Town share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Path milling, repaving, regrading | $263,260 | $180,420 | $82,840 |
| In-road crosswalk lighting, Lux Solar | $283,920 | $194,580 | $89,340 |
The two state shares add up to exactly the $375,000 appropriation. The town's portion comes to roughly $172,000. That is about a third of a project meant to fix a path damaged by a state road project.
The paving contract went through cooperative purchasing rather than a separately bid process. On August 11, the commission approved a revised $263,260.80 contract with PaveConnect, and staff said paving could begin within one to two weeks. The lighting would take longer because it needed traffic control and FDOT clearances. The October newsletter still describes the repaving and the lighting as projects that are moving forward. Expect work zones along the path for at least part of the season.
A Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization road safety audit of the corridor chose the eight lighting sites, according to Boca Daily News. Running from south to north by milepost:
| Crossing | Milepost |
|---|---|
| Grand Court | 5.017 |
| Near Regency Highland | 5.89 |
| Near Toscana Towers | 6.15 |
| At the Highland Beach Club | 6.293 |
| At the Coronado Ocean Club | 6.507 |
| Near Ambassadors East | 6.577 |
| Near Monterey House | 6.817 |
| Near Delray Sands Resort | 7.137 |
Five of the eight sit in the roughly two-thirds of a mile between Toscana Towers and Monterey House, the most tightly spaced stretch of crosswalks in town. The new lights are bi-directional flashing yellow LEDs set into the pavement in composite housings. Pedestrians will trigger them with the same push buttons that already run the sign-mounted lights at some of these crossings. Lux Solar has six months from the town's formal notice to proceed to finish. That date had not been published as of the August report. No source so far confirms that any of the eight lights are working, so watch for them to appear one crossing at a time.
A smoother, lit path also raises the question of who should be on it. On June 16, Town Attorney Leonard Rubin presented a draft ordinance. It would ban operating or riding a motor vehicle, motorized scooter, micromobility device or electric bicycle on any sidewalk or multi-use pathway in town, including the path in the A1A right-of-way. The draft sets no speed limit. It bans these devices outright, with four exceptions:
The town would enforce the ban through code enforcement citations. Its biggest hurdle comes from the same ownership question behind the repaving. Rubin's memo said the town could not enforce the ban, or even post signs about it, in the A1A right-of-way without FDOT's consent. Because the path is one continuous corridor running into Delray Beach to the north and Boca Raton to the south, the memo expected FDOT to hesitate unless those cities also wished to adopt similar rules.
After the June meeting, the town manager talked with FDOT. The state said it had no objection to cities setting rules for e-bikes and similar devices in state rights-of-way, as long as those rules don't conflict with state law. Palm Beach County is also part of the question. The county circulated its own draft micromobility ordinance, which would apply inside municipalities unless a town chose to opt out.
The item came back on September 1 as "Continued discussion," with the staff recommendation left to "Commission discretion." The October newsletter still lists the rules as under consideration. No first reading has taken place, so the path's current rules have not changed.
Put together, the projects show how the corridor works. The path is the town's front porch. Labadie's newsletter calls the town "3 Miles of Paradise." But the state decides how that porch drains, which crossings can carry in-road lights, and whether a town sign can go up at the curb. That explains why the lighting needed FDOT clearance while the paving could move ahead sooner. It also explains why the e-bike ordinance has sat between discussion and a first reading for four months.
The town has used outside money to work within that limit. Labadie reports more than $2.5 million in grants and state appropriations over the past four years. That total includes a separate $1.29 million Florida Inland Navigation District grant for a new Police and Fire Rescue marine docking facility. The path project follows the same approach, with state money covering most of the repair to a state road's shoulder.
The rest of the town's fall calendar sits along the same stretch of A1A:
The town's My Highland Beach app accepts service requests if you spot a problem on the path while the work is underway.
If you live along A1A and want to know how changes like the path work, the crosswalk lights or a possible e-bike rule might matter when you sell or when you shop for a building, The Homeseeker Group follows these Highland Beach details closely. Schedule a consultation and we'll go through what they mean for your address.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
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