Currie Park Will Reopen in Stages. Here Is the Order, and Where the Waterfront Works Until Then

The October 15 update from West Construction reads like a checklist from the middle of a job. At 2400 North Flagler Drive, crews are grading and placing fill for new sidewalks and curbs. They are setting light pole foundations, framing the events pavilion and running electrical rough-ins. The next round of shoreline work, riprap and a seawall cap, is up next. The demolition of the old park entrance has started.

The City's project page calls spring 2027 the "anticipated first phase reopening," and the important words there are "first phase." Currie Park is coming back in stages. Anyone who walks the east side of North Flagler or used to back a trailer down the Currie ramps should plan around a gap that closes one piece at a time.

The order things return

Construction started in 2025 on the 13-acre, $35.5 million redevelopment. Here is how the reported sequence lines up:

1. First phase, spring 2027. That's the City's current estimate. In July, the Palm Beach Post reported a tentative March opening.
2. Second phase, September 2027. The same Post report gave September as the tentative completion for the second round of construction.
3. The waterfront restaurant comes later, date not set. The Palm Beach Daily News reported that a City panel picked Breakwater Hospitality Group for a proposed 378-seat Sea Salt Beach House. Contract talks were still going on, and the restaurant would be built after the park opens.
4. Some pieces have no date at all. The Post reported that a boardwalk and a splash pad won't be built at first because of funding.

Treat every one of those dates as an estimate. The City's October 21 Road and Dock bulletin still lists the Currie sidewalk closure as running through spring 2027, and the ramps as closed until spring 2027. That matches the City's estimate but doesn't narrow it.

What the finished park holds

The full plan is a big change from the park that closed. A January 2026 City release lists improved boat ramps, two tennis courts, two pickleball courts and a new fishing pier. It also lists tidal steps, waterfront swings, a hammock grove, a café, and off-street parking near the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. The construction bid describes the pavilion now being framed as a resiliency hub and events building with offices, meeting space and restrooms. Sports courts, a pedestrian plaza, shade structures and site lighting are also in the bid. The Post's list adds an amphitheater, docks, a playground and a kayak launch.

The funding came from several sources. A City release from August 2025 credits the 2020 Parks Bond and a $16.7 million FloridaCommerce grant. It also credits grants or support from FDEP, FIND, FDOS, HUD and the Community Redevelopment Agency.

The land has been public for more than a century. According to the City, Mayor George Graham Currie deeded it to West Palm Beach in 1920, when it was known as Bethesda Park.

The question after the ribbon cutting

Construction money and operating money are two separate questions, and the second one is still open. In May, the Palm Beach Post reported on a proposal to have a nonprofit manage the park. The City would keep ownership and appoint the nonprofit's board. The Post reported a first estimate of $1.9 million a year to run the park, and said a special taxing district was being discussed to pay for ongoing operations.

So the stages run past the opening day. Who programs the amphitheater and the event lawn, and how that gets paid for, are decisions for the City and its partners over the coming year. Nearby residents may want to follow them as closely as they follow the construction dates.

The north Flagler route this season

Until the first phase opens, the waterfront corridor north of downtown is mostly work zones. The City's October 21 bulletin lists these closures on and near North Flagler Drive, with each project's estimated end date:

According to a City bid, the 30th-to-34th Street closure is for stormwater drainage and water main work, paid for in part by a Florida DEP grant. The bulletin doesn't say whether the pedestrian path or bike lane stays open along that stretch. Check the posted detours before a dawn run. The City republishes Road and Dock regularly, so the latest bulletin is the place to check these dates as they change.

Where boats launch until the ramps reopen

The Currie ramps closed in 2025. The City listed nearby options at the time and gave each one's distance from Currie Park. All three of these reach the Intracoastal:

• Jim Barry Light Harbor Park, 1800 Broadway, Riviera Beach. About 3.1 miles north of Currie, per the City. Palm Beach County Parks lists three boat ramps, kayak and canoe access, and sunrise-to-sunset hours.
• Phil Foster Memorial Park, 900 E. Blue Heron Blvd., Riviera Beach. About 4.4 miles north. The County lists 24-hour ramp access and a separate launch beach for non-motorized craft, which matters for paddlers. The playground there is listed as closed until further notice, but the ramps are not.
• Bryant Park, Lake Avenue and Golfview, Lake Worth Beach. About 9.1 miles south. Lake Worth Beach charges a $15 daily ramp fee, with a five-day maximum and an eight-hour limit per ParkMobile session.

At the County parks, the boat-trailer permit page lists a daily permit at $15 plus tax and an annual decal at $50 plus tax. A 3% fee applies to card payments. For anyone launching north of the city more than three times a year, the annual decal costs less than paying by the day.

If you're already on the water and just want to stop downtown, two City docks are open. The Clematis Street Dock at South Clematis and Flagler and the Fern Street Dock are both open daily from 5 a.m. to midnight. Fern Street doesn't allow overnight dockage for boats, dinghies or kayaks.

Downtown's waterfront is busy every weekend in November

While the north shore is under construction, the downtown waterfront hosts the season's events, and November's calendar lines up close together.

The day after this post publishes, South Flagler Drive closes from Banyan Boulevard to Lakeview Avenue for Eudamonia by Night. The closure runs from 6 p.m. Friday, November 6, until 10 p.m. Saturday, November 7. On Sunday, November 8, the Veterans Day Parade closes Clematis Street between Rosemary Avenue and South Flagler Drive from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The GreenMarket runs at Waterfront Commons, 100 N. Clematis St., from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on November 7, 14, 21 and 28. This season's theme is "The World, Right Here." Five new vendors joined: Ba Café, Arya Tea Bar, Macaroner, Sayblee Products and Truffle Smiles. The Master Chef Showcase starts November 14.

Plan your drive around the market. On October market Saturdays, the City closed Flagler Drive between Banyan Boulevard and Datura Street from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m., and closed the 100 blocks of North and South Clematis from 5 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Check the weekly bulletin for November's closures. With Currie Park closed and South Flagler shut for an event the first weekend, the open stretch of waterfront for a Saturday walk this month is the part that runs past the market.

We follow projects like Currie Park because a rebuilt waterfront park changes the daily routine of everyone living nearby. If you're weighing a home near the north Flagler shoreline before the park reopens, or want to know how the construction is affecting values on your block, Amy Awerbuch can walk you through it. Get your free home valuation and we'll take a look at your street together.