Ask Doctor Detour
Deliveries decide freight train lengths.
Q: What’s the current status of the southbound Interstate 95 exit at Southwest 10th Street in Deerfield Beach? Construction has been halted for months, a crane blocks half of the off ramp and traffic backs up for miles. — Jim Marcantonio, Pompano Beach
A: Highway, rampand bridge widening construction is ongoing overnight and is scheduled to be finished by summer. Until then, the project will be adding an outside lane on southbound I-95 between the Hillsboro Boulevard entrance ramp and the Southwest 10th Street exit ramp.
That exit ramp has been narrowed to one lane for now, but it will have three lanes when the work is done.
Other work includes relocating utilities, resurfacing the road, adding a westbound lane to the overpass, installing barrier walls, curbs, sidewalks, guardrails, drainage pipes, overhead signs, pavement markings, signals, lighting and retaining walls.
Exiting southbound I-95 at Hillsboro Boulevard, going west to Military Trail, then south to Southwest 10th Street will help you bypass the construction.
Q: Why are freight trains so long? They sometimes take up to 22minutes to pass through crossings at Yamato and Glades roads in Boca Raton. Wouldn’t two shorter trains be better than one long one?— Raymond Juhren, Boca Raton
A: According to Florida East Coast Railway vice president Robert Ledoux, freight trains run on a general schedule, mostly overnight, but that’s subject to change.
Trains vary in length. Some are shorter for local freight deliveries while others can be up to two miles long with containers and trailers for distant destinations. For example, the train heading south from Jacksonville to Miami is an overnight train because it’s transporting time-sensitive materials for UPS.
The federal government sets no limits on train length. The average speed is about 40 to 60 mph. FECR freight trains replace up to 2,000 trucks from highways each day, he said.