PARKLAND, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Drivers who use Loxahatchee Road as a cut-through between Parkland and the U.S. 441 corridor will need to reroute starting Monday, January 12, 2026.
The Florida Department of Transportation is scheduled to fully close Loxahatchee Road (also known locally as Lox Road) between Parkside Drive and U.S. 441/S.R. 7 for roundabout construction and the start of a new phase of roadway work. The closure is expected to remain in place through fall 2026, with local access maintained throughout construction.
For Boca Raton and West Boca commuters who regularly pass through the Parkland area, the practical impact is simple: this stretch of Loxahatchee Road will not be a reliable east-west option for most of 2026. If your route involves Parkside Drive, Holmberg Road, or the U.S. 441/S.R. 7 connection, plan for detours, longer travel times, and traffic shifting onto nearby arterials.
FDOT’s posted detour for motorists routes traffic off Loxahatchee Road via Parkside Drive, Holmberg Road, and U.S. 441/S.R. 7. Detour signage is expected to be posted to guide drivers through the alternate route.
The closure is part of the Loxahatchee Road Improvements Project, a multi-year effort designed around traffic calming and safety upgrades for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians along the roadway’s full span — from its easternmost point at U.S. 441/S.R. 7 to the western end near the Arthur R. Marshall National Wildlife Refuge.
The immediate focus starting Jan. 12 is a phased set of roadway improvements and the start of construction for a roundabout at Parkside Drive. FDOT says the full closure is intended to support community and public safety while the work is underway. Additional lane closures and detours are expected as construction continues along an approximately mile-long span of the road.
FDOT’s schedule breaks the work into two phases:
Phase 1 is scheduled from Jan. 12 through April, with work limits from Parkside Drive to NW 61st Way.
Phase 2 is scheduled from April through fall 2026, with work limits from NW 61st Way to U.S. 441/S.R. 7.
Even though the limits of active construction shift, FDOT says the closure from Parkside Drive to U.S. 441/S.R. 7 remains in effect throughout both phases, with local access maintained. The agency notes dates may shift due to weather or unforeseen conditions.
FDOT and local officials have been clear about one point that matters to residents who live off Loxahatchee Road or in neighborhoods that rely on it: access is supposed to stay open for those who need it. Business and residential access is expected to be maintained at all times, including communities with a single point of entry from Loxahatchee Road. Residents are also expected to receive advance notice about future closures tied to the project.
For people walking or biking, the message is more caution than convenience. FDOT is urging motorists to use precaution through the area, while bicyclists and pedestrians are advised to seek alternate routes during construction.
The work is part of a broader redesign that includes drainage installation, roadway widening, guardrail and guiderail installation, gravity wall construction, and new sidewalks. Over the life of the project, planned changes include bike lanes in both directions, a sidewalk along the south side of the road, a new guardrail along the north side, and landscaped median sections intended to slow traffic and calm the corridor without expanding it into a wider highway.
FDOT and project partners have repeatedly framed roundabouts as a core piece of that traffic-calming approach. The plan calls for three roundabouts — at Parkside Drive, University Drive, and Nob Hill Road — with bypass lanes at certain intersections to allow some turning traffic to move without entering the roundabout. FDOT’s rationale is that roundabouts can improve traffic flow, reduce speeds, and lower the likelihood of certain crash types.
The project is being coordinated by FDOT in collaboration with Broward County, the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization, and the City of Parkland. The overall project cost is listed at just under $37 million, with the City of Parkland’s portion described as just under $2 million for an approximately one-mile stretch on the eastern portion of the six-mile roadway.
FDOT expects the broader project to be complete in 2027. In the meantime, officials are urging drivers who do not need to be on Loxahatchee Road to avoid it during active construction, since the roadway can become unreliable — and at times impassable — as closures and detours rotate through different phases.
Residents with questions about the project can contact FDOT Community Outreach Specialist Angel Breedlove at 786-494-6211 or [email protected].
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