The Royal Palm Place Clocktower stands at the northeast corner of S. Federal Highway and SE Mizner Boulevard. Since late summer, that corner has also marked a line in the state's plans. From Camino Real north to SE 5th Street/SE Mizner Boulevard, the Florida Department of Transportation is taking out the 11-foot outside travel lane and narrowing the median. That space goes to 7-foot separated bike lanes and 11-foot sidewalks. North of that corner, up to NE 8th Street/NE Mizner Boulevard, only the median gets narrower and every travel lane stays.
The $6.3 million job runs 1.3 miles under FDOT contract T4740, with General Asphalt Company, LLC as the contractor. Work started on Aug. 20, 2026. FDOT lists milling and resurfacing first in the project scope, but in the south end of downtown the work also changes how the street is divided among cars, bikes and people on foot. One project number covers two different streets, and the dividing line sits at the corner where the Holiday Street Parade will start on Dec. 2.
Two streets under one contract number
The difference between the segments matters more than the total length. Here is what FDOT's project page describes, set against what the south stretch has today according to The Coastal Star.
| Segment | Travel lanes | Bike lanes | Sidewalks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camino Real to SE 5th St/SE Mizner Blvd, today | Existing lanes | 4-foot, no buffer | 6 feet wide |
| Camino Real to SE 5th St/SE Mizner Blvd, planned | 11-foot outside lane removed | 7-foot separated | 11 feet wide |
| SE 5th St/SE Mizner Blvd to NE 8th St/NE Mizner Blvd, planned | Kept; median narrowed | 7-foot separated | Not part of the widening |
In the south segment, the sidewalk grows from 6 feet to 11, nearly double, and the bike lane gets a physical barrier. The Coastal Star reported that cyclists there will be separated from cars by raised concrete and sod, with another strip of sod between the bike lane and the sidewalk. North of SE 5th, the bike lanes come out of the median instead of the travel lanes, so driving capacity there stays the same.
The Camino Real end is getting changes of its own. FDOT is replacing the signals at Federal Highway and Camino Real with mast arms and adding a second left-turn lane for northbound drivers turning onto Camino Real. Traffic headed toward The Boca Raton's mainland campus off Camino Real ends up with more turning room at the same intersection where through lanes are being removed.
The southbound side already uses its permanent lanes
The construction is past its opening phase. The first big closure, reported by TAPinto Boca Raton, began at 9 a.m. on Aug. 24 and shut the inside lanes between SE 8th and SE 5th Streets for three weeks straight.
At 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 12, southbound Federal Highway between Camino Real and SE 5th Street moved into the two left lanes. FDOT's weekly traffic report calls that "its final traffic pattern." Anyone driving south from the Clocktower toward Camino Real this month has been on the finished layout, even though it is still a work zone. During the week of Oct. 16 through Oct. 23, both directions on that segment also dropped to one lane from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for drainage and repurposing work. From Oct. 12 through Oct. 16, one lane in each direction at Camino Real closed on and off between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. for signal work.
Those specific closures were scheduled to end by Oct. 23. The rules behind them stay in place. FDOT allows single-lane closures between Camino Real and SE 5th Street at any hour in either direction. Two-lane closures on that segment are limited to these windows:
- Northbound: 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.
- Southbound: 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
North of SE 5th, where no lane is being removed, the rules are tighter. Single-lane closures are allowed from 7:30 p.m. to 8 a.m. northbound and from 7:30 p.m. to 11:30 a.m. southbound.
FDOT limits those closure windows to "non-peak hours on non-event days, nights, and weekends." The speed limit through the project stays at 35 mph, and FDOT says access to businesses and homes will be kept open the whole time. Under those rules, the segment south of SE 5th Street, where Royal Palm Place sits, can have lanes closed at more hours of the day than the segment to the north.
Royal Palm Place sits on the rebuilt stretch
The rebuilt segment runs past Royal Palm Place, whose official mailing address is 101 Plaza Real South. Its directory lists suites at 300, 302, 306 and 308 S. Federal Highway. The center counts more than 20 places to eat, among them Chops Lobster Bar, Lemongrass, Gary Rack's Farmhouse Kitchen, Another Broken Egg Cafe, 3 Natives and Sushi by Boo.
FDOT's scope includes "a new signalized mid-block crosswalk with increased lighting south of Plaza Real." FDOT's own materials do not say exactly where it goes or which Plaza Real they mean, since Royal Palm Place has a Plaza Real South and Mizner Park has its own Plaza Real. The intent is still clear. A signal-controlled, lit crossing between intersections is meant for people on foot, and the city's listing for the July 30 construction open house describes it as adding "safety and connectivity for pedestrians."
Wider sidewalks, separated bike lanes, a mid-block crossing, and new push buttons and signal heads at every signalized intersection in the corridor all make the blocks around Royal Palm Place easier to walk.
Parade night starts where the new layout ends
The city's 54th Annual Holiday Street Parade, themed "Boca by the Beach," runs Wednesday, Dec. 2, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. It starts at Federal Highway and SE 5th Street and heads north to the Mizner Park Amphitheater. That starting point is the corner where FDOT's lane removal ends. The floats line up at the boundary between the two halves of the project and then travel the half where the travel lanes stay.
Getting more than 60 floats, marching bands and dance groups ready takes a lot of road. The city's parade page says Federal Highway will be closed from Camino Real to Glades Road from about 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., with traffic sent to Dixie Highway or nearby streets. That closure covers the entire FDOT work zone and more. The city recommends walking, biking, carpooling or ride-share, and offers free parking at three locations:
- City Hall, 201 W. Palmetto Park Road
- Building Administration, 200 NW 2nd Avenue
- City Parking Lot, 300 NW 2nd Avenue
The city has not announced any change to the route because of the construction. Since FDOT's closure windows apply to "non-event days," the parade falls on the kind of night the lane-closure rules are written around.
The corridor's fall calendar, in order
Each of these city events sits on or near the construction corridor:
- Thursday, Nov. 5: Night Market at Sanborn Square, with local makers, music and vendors.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 6 to 10 p.m.: Free Holiday Tree Lighting at Mizner Park Amphitheater.
- Wednesday, Dec. 2, 7:30 to 9 p.m.: Holiday Street Parade, Federal Highway and SE 5th Street to Mizner Park Amphitheater, with the road closed roughly 5 to 11 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5: The Symphonia's Holiday POPS Concert at Mizner Park Amphitheater. Doors open at 6 p.m., the show starts at 7, and ticketholders get a POPS Pop-Up beforehand.
- Thursday, Dec. 10: Night Market at Sanborn Square.
Two of these nights close Federal Highway outright or fill the amphitheater at its north end. The rest of the season runs while weekday crews work the segment south of the Clocktower.
How to check the week ahead
FDOT District 4 posts a weekly Palm Beach County traffic report. The Oct. 16 to Oct. 23 edition lists this job as item 3, "State Road (S.R.) 5/United States (U.S.) 1 Resurfacing Project." Each edition gives day-by-day lane closures with dates and hours, which is more detail than the project page offers. The project page links to the current reports, and FDOT says lane-closure and pedestrian updates will be published there. The contact for community questions is Kevin Wells, Community Outreach Specialist, at (728) 235-7218 or [email protected].
On timing, every source points to 2027, but they do not agree on the season. FDOT's project page says summer 2027. Its weekly report says late 2027, and the city's open-house listing gives the project dates as August 2026 through fall 2027. Boca Daily News reported a late 2027 finish when the contract was awarded. The southbound lanes between Camino Real and SE 5th Street have been in their final pattern since Oct. 12, while the 11-foot sidewalks and separated bike lanes are still being built.
Our office is at Royal Palm Place, on the rebuilt stretch. If you are deciding whether a downtown address works better south or north of SE 5th Street now that the two halves are becoming different streets, The CBG Luxury Team can go over it block by block. Who You Work With Matters. Schedule a Private Consultation.
