Margate is preparing to move ahead with a major makeover of Washington Avenue that will reshape traffic flow, add new safety features and visually tie together the city’s beach and bay districts.
The project, first proposed in November 2022 in accordance with Margate’s 2017 master plan, is estimated to cost approximately $3.5 million. In order to fund the redesign, the city secured more than $1.6 million in state grant funding. The additional construction costs will be covered with the city’s ongoing capital improvement program.
One of the most significant changes involves converting the entirety of Washington Avenue into a one-way street. The roadway already runs one-way toward the bay between Pacific and Ventnor avenues. Under the new plan, the one-way pattern would extend from Atlantic Avenue all the way to Amherst Avenue.
The multi-million-dollar undertaking has already begun this fall. Work will run from the beach block to Ventnor Avenue and continue through spring 2026, pause for the summer season, and resume in the fall to finish the stretch to Amherst Avenue.
According to Downbeach.com, Steve Altman, a member of Margate’s Citizen Advisory Committee, conducted an informal survey to see how the public felt about the pending project.
Altman surveyed about 200 people, both residents and business owners, during five sessions — two at the Jewish Community Center, two at the Margate Public Library and one at Casel’s market. About half said they were in favor of the project, 30% were in opposition and the remaining 20% were neutral, undecided or unaware of the plan.
According to the city, “peak hour traffic data was collected during the summer of 2024 and shows that traffic heading towards the bay on Washington Avenue is approximately double the traffic heading towards the beach. The new one-way street will be consistent with the flow of traffic.”
The city also noted on its website that aligning the roadway with that natural flow will eliminate turning movements and reduce the number of vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian conflict points.
The redesign also includes a green-painted bike lane on the north side of Washington Avenue, which will connect existing lanes on Atlantic Avenue and Amherst Avenue. Buffer striping will flank the bike lane, and new racks will be installed both at the waterfront park on Amherst Avenue and on the beach block of Washington Avenue.
Aesthetic upgrades form another major piece of the project. The city plans to replace sidewalks and driveway aprons with brick pavers, refresh curbs and gutters, and add landscaped bump-outs at most intersections to shorten pedestrian crossings. These bump-outs will narrow crossing distances from 38 feet to 24 feet while still preserving enough roadway width for emergency vehicles, according to the city.
Existing green strips between the sidewalk and curb will remain as planted areas rather than being paved. In total, 47 new street trees will be planted, and 35 existing trees will remain.
Decorative lighting will be expanded as well. The city will replace the current fixtures with 44 new decorative streetlights designed to match those on Ventnor Avenue. Electrical conduits will also be installed to support future holiday lighting.
On-street parking will stay on both sides of the roadway, and a loading zone will be added near the city parking lot without reducing the number of available spaces.
Alongside these streetscape enhancements, the project calls for upgrades to water, sewer and drainage infrastructure. Once all utility work is complete, the street will be repaved and re-striped to reflect the new one-way configuration.
While the project does face scepticism, Margate is following the leads of other cities by modernizing its infrastructure.
