At 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, southbound traffic on Federal Highway between Camino Real and SE Mizner Boulevard shifted into the two left lanes. The Florida Department of Transportation calls it the road's "final traffic pattern." If you drive from Camino Real up to Royal Palm Place, the curb lane you used to merge into is gone. It isn't coming back. FDOT is removing the 11-foot outside lane in both directions on that stretch and giving the space to people on foot and on bikes.
This lane removal finishes a downtown pattern the city has been building for years. North of SE Mizner Boulevard, Federal Highway already runs two lanes in each direction. The southern half of the corridor, the part Southeast Boca uses every day, is the part being brought in line.
Two lanes was already the rule north of Mizner
On July 30, 2026, FDOT held a public meeting on the project. In the recorded session, an attendee asked the question most drivers on this stretch are probably asking: won't losing a lane back up traffic? The project engineer said the change followed a traffic study of queues and delays. He also pointed out that the corridor already has two lanes of traffic north of SE Mizner.
That detail changes how the project reads. From Camino Real to SE Mizner/SE 5th Street, three lanes in each direction fed into a downtown that only carries two. Taking out the outside lane removes the bottleneck where those lanes merged down. It does not create a new one. TAPinto Boca Raton reported that FDOT held both a virtual session and an in-person open house that Thursday at the Downtown Boca Raton Public Library.
Where the 11 feet goes
The project covers 1.3 miles, from Camino Real to NE 8th Street/Mizner Boulevard, and costs $6.3 million under FDOT contract T4740. General Asphalt Company is the contractor. The work differs by segment, and most of the change lands south of Mizner:
| Segment | What changes |
|---|---|
| Camino Real to SE Mizner Blvd/SE 5th St | Outside 11-foot lane removed and median narrowed to make room for 7-foot separated bike lanes and 11-foot sidewalks |
| SE Mizner Blvd/SE 5th St to NE Mizner Blvd/NE 8th St | Median narrowed for 7-foot separated bike lanes; travel lanes stay as they are |
| South of Plaza Real | New signalized mid-block crosswalk with more lighting |
| Camino Real intersection | Mast-arm signals replace the existing signals; second northbound left-turn lane added |
| Entire corridor | Milling and resurfacing, upgraded pedestrian push buttons and signal heads, ADA curb ramps, new signs and pavement markings |
An 11-foot sidewalk is roughly the width of the lane it replaces. The bike lanes are separated from traffic, not painted stripes along the curb. A 2025 report in the South Florida Sun Sentinel described FDOT's framing at the time. It called this a bicycle-and-pedestrian project above all, with wider sidewalks, landscape strips and buffered bike lanes. The paper quoted a resident who bikes to work and errands. She said she had avoided the corridor because passing cars came too close, and she welcomed the changes.
Camino Real gains capacity
The lane removal stops at Camino Real, and the intersection gets more turning room. The project adds a second northbound left-turn lane from Federal Highway onto Camino Real. FDOT says it will "improve intersection operations and capacity." The old signals there are being replaced with mast arms, which FDOT describes as a long-term resiliency upgrade.
The traffic plan is to move cars efficiently at the southern edge of downtown and then slow them through the business blocks. Drivers heading west toward Camino Real and the streets around it get two turn lanes. Drivers continuing north find a street built for crossing on foot. From Oct. 12 through Oct. 16, FDOT closed one lane in each direction at the Camino Real intersection on weekdays for signal work, so this part is already underway.
The city asked for it
FDOT owns Federal Highway, but this design started with the city. The project flyer says the work was developed in coordination with, and at the request of, the City of Boca Raton. The city's planning documents show why.
Boca Raton's Transportation Element, adopted in July 2020, gives two parallel roads two different jobs. Downtown Federal Highway is a "local business corridor" meant to become a pedestrian-oriented street. Dixie Highway is the "through traffic corridor." The same document sets out the city's Complete Streets policy, which expressly allows lane removal to make room for adequate walking and biking facilities and to lower vehicle speeds.
The Future Land Use Element, last amended in April 2025, is more specific still. It says the city should consider FDOT Complete Streets standards on Federal Highway between Camino Real and Mizner Boulevard, the exact limits of the current project. The same downtown policy calls for stronger walking, biking and street connections among Mizner Park, Plaza Real South, Sanborn Square, the waterfront and nearby neighborhoods. Crossings at Federal Highway and Mizner Boulevard are listed as priorities.
So the lane on Federal Highway was always meant to go. The city has said for years that drivers passing through downtown belong on Dixie, and that the Federal Highway blocks between Camino Real and Mizner are a place to stop. This project builds the street to match that plan.
What the new sidewalks connect
On the southern stretch, the widest sidewalks and the separated bike lanes run alongside places many Southeast Boca households already use:
- Royal Palm Place, with more than 20 restaurants, boutiques and other businesses, including Chops Lobster Bar, Lemongrass, Gary Rack's Farmhouse Kitchen and Another Broken Egg Cafe.
- Mizner Park, with shopping, dining and its on-site cinema, which the city's downtown plan names as a destination to connect on foot and by bike.
- Sanborn Square, the city's 1.4-acre square with seating, a stage and a fountain.
- The Downtown Boca Raton Public Library at 400 NW 2nd Avenue, which hosted FDOT's July open house.
The new mid-block crosswalk south of Plaza Real is the piece aimed most directly at the Mizner Park end of the corridor. It adds a signalized crossing with more lighting between the existing intersections, where people walking had no light of their own.
The calendar from here
The project is still under construction, and this fall's downtown events will happen around it. Here are the dates worth knowing:
- Through Oct. 23: FDOT scheduled weekday lane reductions, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., in both directions between Camino Real and SE Mizner for drainage work and the lane conversion. Later restrictions appear each week in FDOT's Palm Beach County traffic report.
- Nov. 7: Tequila Fest runs 5 to 8 p.m. at Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, with more than 30 agave-spirit brands.
- Nov. 14: The Savor Boca Experience tasting tour covers 16 restaurants and shops across Mizner Park, Mizner Plaza and downtown from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Tickets were listed at $65, or $100 for two, according to the Boca Raton Observer.
- Nov. 21: The city's free Holiday Tree Lighting runs 6 to 10 p.m. at Mizner Park Amphitheater. Plaza Real East and West close to vehicles starting at 5 p.m.
- 2027: FDOT's own documents give three completion dates. The project page says summer 2027, the project flyer says fall 2027 and the October traffic report says late 2027.
For questions about a specific closure, the project page lists FDOT Project Manager Ricky Estripeaut at (561) 370-1132 and Community Outreach Specialist Kevin Wells at (728) 235-7218.
The southbound lanes are already in their permanent position. The work still ahead, running into 2027, is curbs, sidewalks, bike lanes, signals and the new crosswalk south of Plaza Real. When it's done, the Federal Highway blocks between Camino Real and Mizner Boulevard will have the same two-lane layout as the downtown blocks north of Mizner.
When the street outside your building changes, how buyers see the address can change with it. A walk to Royal Palm Place or Mizner Park is a different trip on an 11-foot sidewalk than on a narrow strip next to fast traffic. If you own near Camino Real or along the Mizner corridor and want to talk through how this project affects your home's position in the market, Judith Randon Realty can help. Schedule a Free Home Valuation & Consultation and we'll look at it together.
