Train tunnel under New River would cost $3.3B
When it comes to whisking train passengers through downtown Fort Lauderdale, a tunnel under the New River is way better than a bridge over it, marine industry officials say.
It’s also way more expensive.
A tunnel would cost $8.2 million a year to maintain and $3.3 billion to build, according to a feasibility study commissioned by state legislators. That’s nearly seven times more than an 80-foot bridge, but the idea is a
hit with marine industry officials because it would mean less delays for boat traffic.
The Florida Legislature ordered the study after hearing from a local marine industry fed up with seeing boat traffic delayed by Brightline trains and freight trains that speed down the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.
Currently, the trains cross the New River using a drawbridge that remains up until it is lowered for approaching trains. That drawbridge is getting lowered more often since Brightline — rebranding as Virgin Trains USA — launched its commuter rail line in 2018.
The report, released this month, also considered what it would cost to build a bridge over the New River:
■ A 21-foot movable bridge would cost $134.3 million to build and $1.9 million a year to maintain.
■ A 55-foot movable bridge would come with a $443.7 million price and a yearly maintenance cost of $3.3 million.
■ An 80-foot span would cost $478 million to build and $2.4 million to maintain.
Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis likes the idea of a tunnel over that of a supersized bridge that would split downtown Fort Lauderdale down the middle, severing the urban landscape.
“It would create a physical barrier down the middle of the city,” he said. “And it would further cement the cultural and psychological divide between this side of the tracks and the other side of the tracks.”
If the tunnel were built, the track would be completely underground for 1.34 miles from Andrews Avenue to just south of Southwest Seventh Street. That option would mean Southwest Ninth Street would be permanently closed.
But boaters could freely navigate the New River without worrying about getting stuck at the bridge. And that sounds pretty good to Bob Roscioli, who owns a busy shipyard along Marina Mile.
“The New River is the lifeblood of our business,” he said. “This river keeps all these shipyards, workers and restaurants busy. If you have constant trains going it makes it more difficult to maneuver up the river. The riverway becomes very congested.”
If a new bridge or tunnel ever gets built, it could be operational in the next 10 years, Trantalis said. The freight trains would continue to use the existing drawbridge.
No one can say yet who would foot the bill for the tunnel, but Trantalis says the money could come from a combination of federal, state and local governments along with a contribution from Brightline.
It’s too soon to say whether the new passenger rail would be run by Brightline — but it remains a possibility.
“There’s a number of considerations that everyone needs to take into account and this is the beginning of the process,” said Ben Porritt, senior vice president of Brightline.
The project’s biggest obstacle is the high cost, says Dick Blattner, a Hollywood commissioner and past chair of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization.
But where there’s a will, there’s a way, some say.
“Brightline needs to keep running as an express train,” Blattner said. “This would be a passenger rail with more stops, in Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, the airport, Wilton Manors, Oakland Park. It would be like Tri-Rail on the FEC.”
In a recent interview, Brightline CEO Patrick Goddard said Brightline isn’t ready to have Tri-Rail run on the Florida East Coast Railway line.
The freight railroad owns the tracks from Miami to Jacksonville, but Brightline holds perpetual rights to operate over them.
The Florida East Coast Railway, as the owner of the tracks, would also have to sign off on any plan to build a bridge or tunnel.
“This is a private rail corridor and we would need permission from FEC to move forward,” said Guillermo Canedo, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.
“Our purpose for studying the FEC corridor is to provide commuter rail service from Jupiter to Miami,” he said. “This is an 85-mile segment of the FEC and connects 27 downtowns. There are two major impediments to the study moving forward. Firstly the corridor is privately owned, permission to use the corridor for commuter rail is required — this has not happened. Secondly, funding sources to maintain commuter rail along the corridor.”