FORT LAUDERDALE — Imagine not having to stop at the railroad tracks when a train rolls by, whether you’re in your car, on a bike or on foot.
It could happen if an underpass was built at five major railroad crossings that run through downtown Fort Lauderdale: Sunrise, Broward, Davie and Sistrunk boulevards and Andrews Avenue.
Transportation planners are studying the possibility.
The plan, if it works, would not only ease gridlock but save lives, said Greg Stuart, executive director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization.
An underpass would help create a safe barrier between drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians and the freight trains and Brightline commuter trains that travel through town on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks, Stuart told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
It’s too soon to know exactly how much the underpass project would cost, Stuart said.
The price for all five could reach $550 million, he added.
If the tunnels are too expensive, there’s another option: An overpass.
To build five overpass bridges at the same locations would cost around $350 million, Stuart said.
Railroad crossings create major barriers for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, planners say. The trains themselves can cause long delays for commuters, making it harder for people to get to work, school and other destinations.
In theory, the underpasses would make it easier to walk, bike and drive across the city, planners say. They would also reconnect neighborhoods on both sides of the tracks; improve safety; reduce congestion; and harden infrastructure with drainage and stormwater upgrades.
The project might sound like a great plan, but it’s a long way from breaking ground.
“This isn’t going to happen overnight,” Stuart said. “It could happen in 10 to 15 years. It could even take till 2040 just to line up the money. You’d have to stagger construction. The trains would need to keep running during construction. That’s why studies favor bridges over tunnels. They’re easier to do.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation contributed $1.5 million for the 18-month study. Fort Lauderdale kicked in another $375,000.
As part of the TRAX study, transportation planners plan to seek public feedback during workshops similar to one held Tuesday night at Holiday Park.
Ted Inserra, president of River Oaks Civic Association, came to the meeting to find out more about the plan.
“To me, the only thing that makes sense would be an overpass,” Inserra said after the meeting. “An underpass is going to flood. We can’t even keep the Kinney tunnel on U.S. 1 from flooding. … It just seems so far-fetched.”
Ed Catalano, president of the South Middle River Civic Association, said he likes the idea of an underpass, but thinks an overpass makes more sense.
“I’ve lived here 11 years now and I’ve seen everything grow and grow and grow and the traffic getting heavier and heavier every day,” Catalano said after the meeting. “I would think an overpass would be more logical for the area because of the rain.”
An underpass would require a drainage system similar to the one used by the U.S. 1 tunnel in downtown Fort Lauderdale, planners say.
Mayor Dean Trantalis was not at Tuesday night’s meeting, but told the Sun Sentinel he was not in favor of building overpasses at the tracks for the same reason he doesn’t want a bridge for commuter rail built over the New River.
“Overpasses are not an option because it’s going to destroy the visual impact,” Trantalis said. “Where do the bridges begin and where do they end? We already have a street design meant to be at ground level. You’d have to start the bridge at U.S 1 and end it at Northwest Seventh Avenue if you wanted to build an overpass at the tracks on Broward Boulevard.”
James Cromar, deputy executive director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, said planners are still studying where each entry and exit point would be.
“We’re looking at that now,” Cromar said. “We need to avoid the underground infrastructure. In a year, we’ll have a plan.”
Fred Bloetscher, a civil engineering professor at Florida Atlantic University, estimated that each underpass would be about the same length as the 864-foot-long Kinney Tunnel. The deepest point is 35 feet below the surface of the New River.
The tunnels under the railroad tracks would need to be at least 35 feet deep to allow semi-trucks and transit vehicles to drive through, Bloetscher said.
By his estimates, the underpass on Sunrise Boulevard would start near Searstown on the east and go all the way to Northeast Fourth Avenue on the west. The underpass on Broward Boulevard would start at Andrews Avenue on the east side and pop up at Southwest Fourth Avenue on the west. The same goes for Sistrunk and Davie Boulevard.
An underpass would be far superior to an overpass, according to Bloetscher.
“Here’s the challenge with an overpass: It cuts off the neighborhood,” he said. “You can’t walk from one side of the street to another because there’s a wall there at least 25 feet high. You cut the neighborhood in half. That’s why the tunnel makes more sense.”
Building an underpass is not commonly done in South Florida, however.
“Overpasses are done all the time,” Bloetscher said. “Going under is a little tougher. There’s going to be water lines, sewer and stormwater pipes, fiber and powerlines. All those are going to need to be moved. But I think this could work.”
The underground infrastructure will play a key role in the cost, Stuart said. And each corridor will be different.
“The unknowns we have are what utilities are running under the tracks,” Stuart said. “The cost really depends on what’s going on underground. The pros of an underpass is that there’s no large structure in the air. The cons are cost.”
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan