Rail crossing won’t be closed on Broward Boulevard after all

The state is putting off a rail crossing shutdown that threatened to disrupt traffic on Broward Boulevard in downtown Fort Lauderdale starting Tuesday.

After an outcry from city and county officials, the Florida Department of Transportation announced Monday that the shutdown “can be deferred.”

The agency made no mention of a new date.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis and other local officials were flabbergasted when they learned just last week that the Florida East Coast Railway crossing would be closed for repairs from Tuesday to Thursday, at the height of the tourist season.

He said the city was not consulted about the proposed detour, which would have routed thousands of motorists through narrow city streets to cross the tracks north of the crossing.

The mayor expressed relief Monday that the closure was delayed.

“They probably met over the weekend and realized that common sense should prevail and that the repair work should be at a time that was less intrusive to the community,” he said.

“I’m hoping we will now be able to strengthen our relationship with the state and FEC going forward so we can work together in making their best attempt more successful.”

Last Friday, Trantalis said he was in the

middle of a meeting that included Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry when word of the closing came unexpectedly from the FDOT.

“Our jaws dropped. We sat there in disbelief,” he said. “No one consulted with us as to how best to reroute traffic.”

Besides snarled traffic, critical delays were possible for emergency police, fire and medical services, as well as the county’s bus service. Broward County Transit’s central bus terminal is adjacent to the boulevard on the east side of the tracks.

A Brightline rail station sits on the west side, but there is somewhat of a silver lining. The high-speed railroad suspended service in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The FEC, which hauls freight, and Brightline share the rail line, which stretches from Jacksonville to Miami.