A recommendation to move trains under the New River instead of over an existing drawbridge comes with a hefty price tag.
A new study recommends a tunnel under the New River for trains running through downtown Fort Lauderdale, reports Susannah Bryan. "The Florida Legislature ordered the study after hearing from a local marine industry fed up with seeing boat traffic delayed by Brightline [express] trains and freight trains that speed down the Florida East Coast Railway tracks."
But the cost for a tunnel would be high — $3.3 billion to build and an additional $8.2 million annually for maintenance. An alternative to the current drawbridge would be much less expensive, a new bridge over the river, with the priciest option coming in at under $500 million to build and $2.4 million a year to maintain.
While the high cost of a tunnel remains an obstacle, proponents of the idea argue that it would mean fewer delays for boats and less congestion on the waterway. "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," notes Bryan.
FULL STORY: Train tunnel under New River would cost $3.3 billion, but some say it’s worth it
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The New Colorado River Deal: An Explainer
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Research Indicates the Large Potential Benefits of Parking Cash-Out Laws
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Through the Eyes of a Journalist: Megan Kimble Reflects on Covering Food Systems, Zoning Changes, and Highway Projects in the Southwest
Kimble’s interest in topics related to urban planning spawned from research and writing about food systems in the borderlands of Arizona. She then moved to Austin in the midst of the city’s update of its Land Development Code.
Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission
Code Studio
TAG Associates, Inc.
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Montrose County
Knox County
Wichita-Sedgwick County Metropolitan Area Planning Department
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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