Florida officials are considering construction of a Turnpike interchange at Palmetto Park Road to relieve congestion at the Glades Road exit. The proposal would: * Cost $119 million of our taxpayer funds without guarantee of substantial relief to the Glades Road Turnpike exit, as many of Boca Raton's highest employment zones are north, not south, of Glades Road. * Devalue homes along the Palmetto Park Road corridor with additional traffic congestion and auto emission pollution at Powerline Road, Boca Del Mar Drive, the Palmetto Park Road flyover bridge, to as far west as Lyons Road or even 441. * Delay ambulances and rescue vehicles heading to area hospitals with area nursing home patients or those injured in car or truck collisions. * Further frustrate commuters from West Boca using Palmetto Park Road to reach downtown Boca Raton or Interstate 95, especially if forced to wait for traffic that will exit the Turnpike at the Palmetto Park Road flyover bridge. * Compound the already precarious safety of pedestrians crossing Palmetto Park Road at Boca Del Mar Drive on the Jewish Sabbath and religious holidays. * Further erode the safety of children traveling by car to Hillel Day School and Del Prado Elementary during morning rush hours. For these reasons, and others, we the undersigned strongly and firmly oppose the proposed full Turnpike interchange addition at Palmetto Park Road and urge that transportation planners, consultants and elected officials consider other relief options for traffic congestion at the Glades Road Turnpike interchange.

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