Ask Dr. Detour
Airport flight patterns and bumps in the road.
Doctor Detour answers your transportation questions.
Q: Do you know if the flight patterns at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport have been changed or shifted in the past few weeks? We live in Cooper City, just south of Stirling Road, and there seems to be much more air traffic than ever before. — Steve Einhorn, Cooper City.
A: Shifting winds and runway maintenance can change flight paths sometimes, but according to local and federal aviation officials, flight patterns at Bro ward County’ s main airport have not changed recently.
However, summer flight volume has been strong compared to the past few years, said Kathleen Bergen, with the Federal Aviation Administration.
“This summer, air traffic is up about 10 to 12 percent, which normally is what we experience in the winter months,” she said.
The number of flights normally decreases beginning in June and July then increases in October and November.
Other reasons for a busier airport include an increasing number of international flights, new air carriers, the growth of existing airlines and terminal expansion that has added more gates.
The airport averages 640 commercial flights on more than two dozen airlines, plus about 100 private flights and about 80,000 travelers every day, according to the Broward County Aviation Department.
Q: Has anyone else contacted you about a brutal bump where eastbound
Commercial Boulevard crosses the recently improved railroad crossing just east of Dixie Highway? Fresh asphalt has settled lower than the tracks, most noticeably in the center lane. The tracks hide this dip. But my car definitely finds it. — Barney O’Neil, Lauderdale By The Sea.
A: Work continues on upgrades to railroad crossings all along the Florida East Coast Railway corridor in preparation for Brightline express passenger trains scheduled to start rolling in the fall.
Crews have been fairly quick to respond to complaints about bumpy FEC crossings in the past.
If you experience any problems with the asphalt, rails, crossing gates, warning lights or bells on the FEC tracks running parallel to Dixie Highway, call 800-342-1131, and for CSX tracks running along the west side of Interstate 95, call 844-200-7233.