LOXAHATCHEE RIVER RAILROAD DRAWBRIDGE DILEMA…32 RAPID SPEED TRAINS A DAY?
Are 32 rapidly moving speed trains necessary to cross the moveable bridge over the Loxahatchee River? The people at All Aboard Florida (Florida East Coast Industries) rapid train service seem to think so. Based on the anticipated number of trains per day between Miami and Orlando, All Aboard Florida wishes to provide hourly service starting in the early morning hours and ending in the late evening to meet the anticipated demand by tourists, locals and business travelers.
The addition of 32 passenger trains, to the existing freight trains, that raise and lower the railway bridge daily could cause a bit of boating back up on the Loxahatchee River. The railway bridge lowers for about 12 minutes each time a freight train crosses – generally at night. The passenger trains will run mainly during daylight hours. When the bridge is in the down position, clearance beneath the bridge at low tide is approximately three or four feet and possibly causing all but the smallest boats to be waiting upriver of the Intracoastal Waterway and the Jupiter Inlet.
George Gentile, Chairman of the Jupiter Inlet District, is totally in favor of mass transit, but feels there needs to “be mitigation”. He said, “The Inlet District will be doing a video camera analysis, showing how many boats are stopped and we’ll compile this data.”
The Federal Railroad Administration is providing an Environmental Impact Statement. Once this process is complete, they will mitigate any potential impacts.
One major proposal is moving the All Aboard Florida high-speed train to existing railway tracks west of our towns.
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