The busy Florida East Coast Railway line that carries Brightline and freight trains through Broward County will soon be the object of nearly $16 million in safety upgrades at rail crossings in six cities, the Federal Railroad Administration announced Monday.
The money is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in what the government calls a “first-ever dedicated grant program” to help communities eliminate rail crossing-roadway intersections that have been the scenes of deadly vehicle-rail collisions. In many instances, the FRA said, the points where railroad tracks intersect with roads “have blocked vehicle and pedestrian traffic, led to deadly vehicle-rail collisions, and prevented first responders from reaching emergencies.”
Locally, the projects are designed to help reduce train-vehicle collisions, which have risen considerably in South Florida with the advent and growth of the higher speed Brightline rail service, which shares the rail corridor with the FEC freight railroad.
County planners are also concerned about the additional volume created by Broward’s portion of the long-awaited “Coastal Link” tri-county commuter rail, which would put additional trains along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.
The Broward County Sealed Corridor Project, which will cost more than $15.4 million, will entail improvements, “such as exit gates and medians at 21 grade crossings along Florida East Coast Railway’s rail line,” the FRA said.
Nationally, a so-called Railroad Crossing Elimination program is providing more than $570 million for 63 projects in 32 states, the agency said. The idea is to “make it easier to get around railroad tracks by adding grade separations, closing at-grade crossings, and improving existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect.”
“Last year, there were more than 2,000 highway-rail crossing collisions in the U.S. and more than 30,000 reports of blocked crossings submitted to FRA’s public complaint portal,” according the agency, which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“Every year, commuters, residents, and first responders lose valuable time waiting at blocked railroad crossings – and worse, those crossings are too often the site of collisions that could be prevented,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The agency said that “for years,” it has received complaints about delays and disruptions caused by “frequently blocked crossings that force residents to wait hours at intersections or take detours. These delays and disruptions can also prevent first responders from getting to emergencies quickly.”
“The Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program is another critical tool that FRA is using to make a lasting impact on the safety and transportation needs of communities nationwide,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “With these project selections and the many more that are to come, we will save lives and reshape infrastructure in ways that allow individuals to move through their neighborhoods seamlessly and safely.”
Wilfredo Lee / AP
A Brightline train approaches a railroad crossing in Fort Lauderdale. The higher speed railroad and federal and local agencies have collaborated to bring millions to improve safety at crossings.
A collaborative funding pitch
The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, which helps shape the county’s transportation policies and acquire related funding, will contribute a 20% non-federal match. The cities of Dania Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, Pompano Beach and Wilton Manors will also contribute the same percentage of funding for projects in their jurisdictions.
Late last month, the local agency set up a “Don’t Risk It” rail safety education program designed to dissuade motorists from trying to beat trains across he tracks.
Gregory Stuart, executive director of the Broward MPO, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday that the latest grant was requested by the agency on behalf of the six cities and Broward County.
“The county’s turnaround has been remarkable,” he said. “(They said,) ‘Let’s partner and make this the best thing for our region.’”
He added that Brightline, which expects to expand its service to Orlando from South Florida late this summer, will help perform the hardware installation. The company provided the engineering staff to help with the funding application to the federal government, according to Stuart. He said his agency, the railroad and the local governments “are aiming for the fall to start construction.”
“This probably is one of the best examples of partnerships within our region,” Stuart said.
FRA Deputy Administrator Jennifer Mitchell is scheduled to visit Fort Lauderdale on Thursday and attend the MPO’s monthly board meeting, where she will formally announce the grant.
Separately, the City of Fort Lauderdale will spearhead a $280,000 “Railroad Safety and Congestion Analysis which will study 15 crossings with the city limits along the Florida East Coast rail corridor,” the FRA said.
“It will help identify means to improve safety at the rail grade crossings as freight and intercity passenger rail services expand over the next couple years,” the FRA said. “The study will focus on data related to traffic, delays, and interactions at the crossings, which can be used to assess how to reduce delays caused by Florida East Coast Railroad and Brightline trains.”
“There are a lot of things for Fort Lauderdale to look at,” Stuart said. “Fort Lauderdale asked for some extra money to do a study on their own. We’ll be partners with them.”
Money for West Palm Beach Study
For Palm Beach County, the government also announced the City of West Palm Beach will conduct a $320,000 study to identify how pedestrians the eight-mile FEC segment that runs through the city.
The goal is to “formalize an action plan” to improve crossing safety, the FRA said. The city is providing a 20% non federal funding match.