Coral Gables will convert the DeSoto Fountain traffic circle into a modern roundabout with crosswalks and reduced pavement, using a $1 million state grant.
Roundabout redesign adds crossings, removes stop signs
Assistant Public Works Director for Transportation Melissa De Zayas presented the redesign to the city's Transportation Advisory Board on Aug. 27. The project, funded by a Local Agency Program (LAP) grant from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), will replace stop signs with yield controls, add sidewalks and crosswalks around the entire circle and shrink the roadway to create a wider landscaped buffer around the fountain.
"We're gonna make it function like a typical roundabout, and we're gonna provide pedestrian crossings and sidewalks all around the circle, because right now, that circle doesn't function like a typical roundabout," De Zayas said at the meeting, the Coral Gables Gazette reported.
Century-old fountain avoided worse crash history
The more than 100-year-old fountain, designed by Coral Gables artist Denman Fink and landscape architect Frank M. Button, sits at the center of a plaza with six road entrances plus an additional entrance from the Venetian Pool parking lot. Under the current layout, stop signs control traffic at every approach except Granada Boulevard. Drivers frequently ignore those stop signs and treat them as yields, De Zayas told the board.
De Zayas said she was surprised the circle's crash history was not worse, crediting the wide pavement for giving drivers room to maneuver.
But all that pavement creates a problem for pedestrians.
Board members noted that parking around the circle gets congested during busy periods at Venetian Pool. New sidewalks and crosswalks would give visitors a way to reach the pool on foot rather than by car, they said.
Fountain assessment precedes 2027 construction timeline
The city will assess the fountain's condition before construction begins. Communications Director Martha Pantin said protecting the fountain's integrity will be an important part of the project's planning and design. Construction is not expected until late 2027 or early 2028, Pantin said.
Granada Boulevard sidewalk gaps to be filled
The roundabout project fits into a broader push to fill sidewalk gaps along Granada Boulevard. The city has secured separate county funding to install sidewalks from DeSoto Plaza south to Bird Road. Portions of Granada currently lack sidewalks on the east side between Palermo Avenue and Bird Road and on the west side between Anastasia Avenue and Bird Road.
Together, the projects could create continuous sidewalk coverage along Granada from Coral Way to Ponce de Leon Boulevard, just north of U.S. 1, De Zayas said.
Next steps for city commission approval
No date has been set for the project to go before the Coral Gables City Commission. Residents can follow updates through the Transportation Advisory Board, which meets at 427 Biltmore Way.
