On the south side of Burns Road, the plan calls for a raised concrete separator between the travel lanes and a dedicated bike lane. The separator is designed to be about a foot and a half wide and six inches tall. The lane behind it is roughly 9.5 feet wide, and riders going both directions share it, much like a trail. Gold Coast Wave reported on October 12 that the city calls it the first bidirectional protected bicycle lane in Palm Beach County.
If you drive Burns Road, you've been passing work zones since spring. Beyond this one road, Palm Beach Gardens has lined up a string of bike projects on parallel east-west streets between Military Trail and Alternate A1A, each with a different design. Burns Road is the one where the separation is concrete.
What the Curb Actually Does
The city's name for the project is the Burns Road Separated Two-Way Bicycle Track. It runs on the south side of Burns Road from Military Trail east to Alternate A1A and passes the Burns Road Community Center on the way. In its April construction notice, the city said the track would be separated from traffic by a concrete curb.
A painted bike lane is a line on the asphalt, and a driver who drifts can cross it. Here, a driver who drifts hits the six-inch separator before reaching anyone on a bike. The city also plans bike symbols along the track, with green paint markings at intervals to flag it.
The two-way layout matters as much as the curb. Riders going in both directions share the south side, so nobody has to cross Burns Road to head the other way, and the city only had to build one protected lane.
How Burns Road Got Here, and When It Should Finish
Burns Road has been a work zone since April. Here is the order things happened, from the city's notice and Gold Coast Wave's reporting:
- April 13, 2026. Construction began. During Phase 1, lane closures ran from Military Trail to the traffic signal at the Weiss School, and the city committed to keeping at least one lane open at all times.
- Summer 2026. Crews repaved Burns Road from Military Trail to Ironwood Road, just short of Alternate A1A. They worked overnight, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Thursday, so the road could stay open during the day.
- Fall 2026. With the paving done, the remaining work is the track itself.
The finish date depends on which source you check. In April the city said construction would last "through late November 2026." Gold Coast Wave's October 12 article put the city's target at October or November. The Palm Beach MPO's Transportation Alternatives project list, last updated March 4, 2026, lists the track as under construction with estimated completion in December 2026. No opening date or ribbon cutting has been announced. Late fall is a safe expectation, and you can keep an eye on the city's Burns Road project page for updates.
Until then, expect work zones along the south side of Burns Road between Military Trail and Alternate A1A. Questions about the project go to the city's Engineering Department at 561-804-7012.
On cost, Gold Coast Wave reported a total of $1,433,502.81. About $1.3 million of that comes from a grant through the Palm Beach MPO and the Florida Department of Transportation. The city covers the remaining $131,321.81 from its Mobility Impact Fund, which works out to less than a tenth of the project. The MPO's own list gives rounder figures, $891,000 in MPO funding against a $1.4 million total, so the published numbers differ a little depending on who is counting.
The Street Next Door Already Has a Bike Lane
Burns Road isn't the first time the city has funded a bike route across this exact span. On the same MPO list, the Kyoto Gardens Drive project also runs from Military Trail to Alternate A1A. It added a 5-foot bike lane and an 8-foot pathway on the north side of the road and was completed in July 2024.
That makes two east-west streets between the same two north-south roads, built two years apart with different designs. Kyoto Gardens pairs a striped bike lane with a separate path for pedestrians and slower riders. Burns Road puts all bike traffic in one curbed lane on one side. The sources don't say the two routes connect to each other or to bike facilities on Military Trail or Alt. A1A, so it's best to think of them as parallel options.
Three more Palm Beach Gardens projects sit on the MPO list, each using yet another design.
| Corridor | Segment | Design | Status on MPO list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Gardens Drive | Military Trail to Alt. A1A | 5-foot bike lane and 8-foot pathway, north side | Completed July 2024 |
| Burns Road | Military Trail to Alt. A1A | 9.5-foot separated two-way bicycle track | Under construction, estimated December 2026 |
| Lilac Street | N. Military Trail to Plant Drive | Existing sidewalk widened to a 10-foot shared-use path, plus new path and a midblock crossing | Estimated construction start summer 2026 |
| Fairchild Avenue | Fairchild Gardens Avenue to Campus Drive | Buffered bike lanes and 8-foot pathway, south side | Under construction, estimated spring 2027 |
| N. Military Trail | Garden Lakes Drive to I-95, and Winchester Drive to the EPBC-3 Canal | Shared-use path | FY 2029 |
Since the MPO list was last updated in March, the Lilac Street line still shows a planned summer start. Before you plan a route on Lilac, drive by and see whether crews are there.
No two of these projects share a design. On paper, Burns Road gives riders the most physical protection of any of them. Each project also has its own construction window, which means a stretch of road in Palm Beach Gardens is likely to have cones on it at least through Fairchild Avenue's spring 2027 estimate.
November Reasons to Get Out on a Bike
The track should finish just as the city's November calendar fills up. These dates come from the City of Palm Beach Gardens calendar and city announcements:
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 9 to 10 a.m. Stories in the Park at Burns Road Playground.
- Friday, Nov. 6, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Films on the Field, showing Toy Story 5, rated PG.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. A Floating Sound Bath at the PBG Aquatic Complex.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m. The city's Veterans Salute Celebration at Veterans Plaza Amphitheater, 10500 N. Military Trail. Army veteran Clint Lowe is the keynote speaker, and the Palm Beach Gardens High School Chorus will perform. City Hall administrative offices are closed that day.
Veterans Plaza sits on Military Trail, the western end of both Kyoto Gardens Drive and Burns Road. The Military Trail shared-use path on the MPO list doesn't reach construction until FY 2029, though, so the last stretch to the amphitheater is still ordinary road riding.
If you're looking for a first ride once the curb work is done, the full Burns Road track from Military Trail to Alt. A1A is the one stretch in the county where a concrete separator runs the whole way. The city's project page is the place to watch for the opening announcement.
I follow projects like this because they change how a street works for the people who live along it. If you live near Burns Road, Lilac Street or Fairchild Avenue and wonder how the construction might affect your block, or you'd like to talk through what's changing around your home, I'm happy to help. Call or text "Roxy" at (561) 714-9673, or visit Roxy Campbell. Hablo español también.
