WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Amid all the construction that is already creating confusion for drivers in downtown West Palm Beach is a detour to nowhere.
The detour, which begins at Third Street and Rosemary Avenue, takes drivers on a loop back to where they started.
Traveling west on Third Street beginning at Rosemary Avenue, drivers are directed north onto Division Avenue. From there, drivers head north for five blocks until they reach Seventh Street. A detour sign points drivers to turn east onto Seventh Street. Drivers then pass Rosemary Avenue and are forced to turn south onto Railroad Avenue, which funnels them back to Third Street, one block east of Rosemary Avenue.
WPTV spoke to a driver who was duped by the detour on his way to work Friday morning.
"I followed the signs and I end up doing a complete 360 and ended up at the same exact spot that I left from," Roger Zacharie told WPTV.
Zacharie, who was born and raised in West Palm Beach, couldn't believe what he experienced.
"Is there any other detour that we possibly can take to kind of detour us from taking that 360 again?" he asked.
WATCH: Video shows how detour takes drivers on loop
Well, yes, there is, actually — only this time, it's a whole different loop.
If drivers ignore the first detour sign on Third Street and continue west, they'll eventually be met by a "road closed" sign where Third Street meets Douglass Avenue.
Because Douglass Avenue is one way only, drivers must turn south until it ends at Second Street, which is one way for eastbound traffic. But they won't get far on Second Street before another road closure sign directs them north onto Division Avenue.
From there, drivers have the choice to either continue following the detour all the way to Seventh Street or take Third Street east back to where they originated.
"Whoever made this up was intentionally, purposefully, trying to make us late for work," Zacharie surmised.
West Palm Beach spokeswoman Kathleen Walter told WPTV that the city was "aware of traffic issues related to the method of transportation" involving several construction projects in the area and was reviewing plans "to improve the experience for all motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists."
