Broward County has unveiled ambitious plans to construct two new rail bridges spanning Fort Lauderdale's New River. This massive project, estimated to cost between $470 million and $495 million, is a cornerstone of a broader plan to connect Jupiter and Miami via a new commuter rail system along the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.
Rendering: TYLin
The current bridge, a relic from the 1970s, has become a bottleneck for both rail and marine traffic. Its frequent closures to accommodate boats have limited passenger train services to 36 trips a day. To address this, Broward County has proposed two towering new bridges: one at 5 feet above water for freight trains and another, 40 feet above water, for passenger trains.
Rendering: TYLin
The designs, developed by the renowned San Francisco-based consulting firm TYLin, incorporate innovative solutions to ensure seamless passage for both rail and marine traffic.
While city officials initially favored a more subterranean solution—a train tunnel—cost estimates of $888 million to $1 billion quickly dashed those hopes.
Rendering: TYLin
Negotiations are underway with Brightline to establish a new commuter rail system similar to Tri-Rail. However, Brightline has demanded roughly $330 million from Miami-Dade, and a similar figure is to be expected from Broward for access to their tracks.