South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis Study

INTRODUCTION

The South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis Study seeks to reduce roadway congestion and improve mobility by providing local and regional passenger transit service for Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. This tri-county region is the most heavily populated in Florida and the fifth largest in the country. That dense and still-growing population makes traffic congestion frustrating and costly to the many publics that regularly traverse the major coastal north-south arteries, I-95, U.S. 1 and Old Dixie/Federal Highway. The study area will extend along an 85-mile long, two-mile wide corridor centered on the Florida East Coast Railway tracks.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

• Why is the study being done?

A regional solution is being sought to relieve roadway congestion by moving citizens and visitors more efficiently on mass transit. Such service may be the only way to ease the traffic tie-ups and delays drivers experience on I-95, U.S. 1 and Old Dixie/Federal Highway as they travel along the eastern portions of the counties for work, study, medical treatment or recreation.

Besides providing a more efficient means of north-south travel, the transit line being considered would provide connectivity to Tri-Rail, Metrorail and the proposed Miami streetcar in Miami-Dade and to the proposed East-West Line in Broward. It would connect to the three major airports, Miami International, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and Palm Beach International as well as the four regional airports within the tri-county area, and to the seaports, Port of Miami, Port Everglades and Port of Palm Beach.

The study will also seek to assure that the increasing flow of freight to and from the seaports and airports adjacent to the FEC Railway is not affected if those tracks are shared with passenger rail service. Such sharing has been achieved successfully in many other areas of the country.

The Study is sponsored by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority and the Metropolitan Planning Organizations of Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties. It is managed by the Florida Department of Transportation following guidelines established by the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration and  Federal Railroad Administration and recommendations by the U.S. Maritime Administration, U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Aviation Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Input will also be sought from Miami-Dade Transit, Broward County Transit, Palm Tran, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the South Florida and Treasure Coast Regional Planning Councils and the three county Leagues of Cities. 

In a competitive process, Gannett Fleming, Inc., an internationally-known engineering, planning and construction management firm and its team of 17 diverse and specialized firms won the opportunity to carry out the detailed work of the study.

The study corridor stretches 85 miles along a two-mile wide corridor centered on the FEC Railway tracks, beginning north of Indiantown Road in Palm Beach County, continuing through Broward County and ending in Miami-Dade County at Flagler Street in the heart of Miami’s Central Business District. It passes through Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park, Riviera Beach, Mangonia Park, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Lantana, Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Boca Raton in Palm Beach County; Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Pompano Beach, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Hollywood and Hallandale Beach in Broward; and Aventura, North Miami Beach, North Miami, Biscayne Park, Miami Shores, El Portal and Miami in Miami-Dade County.

This first phase of the study officially began September 26, 2005 and is scheduled to be completed by spring, 2007. During that time the study technical team will conduct origin/destination surveys with riders on 22 bus routes, and will also note license plate numbers at 21 locations and mail surveys to those vehicle owners to assess travel patterns.

While that information is being collected and analyzed, the study team will consider the possible alternative routes that transit might take. Different forms of transit will also be considered, including heavy rail like Metrorail, commuter rail like Tri-Rail, light rail such as streetcars or trolleys, bus rapid transit like the South Miami Busway, express bus or a combination of any of those.

The second phase of the study will take a closer and more detailed look into the alternatives being considered and determine the Locally Preferred Alternative, or route. The necessary documentation will then be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration for funding approval. This phase is scheduled to be completed by 2010 or earlier.

All work of the study will follow documentation requirements of the FTA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Efficient Transportation Decision-Making (ETDM) process. The end result of both phases of the study will be to gain a Record of Decision (ROD) from the FTA for transit service within the study corridor. An ROD can be considered a stamp of approval, which means the FTA can authorize the project to proceed toward final engineering and construction. Depending on how the funding package is structured, transit service along portions of the corridor could possibly begin by 2012. That may seem far off, but it’s the usual time for a process as lengthy, detailed and complex as this one.

It’s really too early in the study to know because the Locally Preferred Alternative has not yet been identified.It is possible that small amounts of private property could be needed; however, theprincipal rights-of-way under consideration are owned by the FEC Railway, are already in public ownership, or would be on land being slated for redevelopment by the current owners.  Property takings are reviewed by the FTA after consideration of public comments.       

Public input is an essential part of this study. There will be a total of 21 public meetings during the first phase of the study including workshops and agency/elected official meetings.  These will be distributed throughout Southeast Florida for convenience to the public.  Meeting notices will be mailed for any  Public Hearings and all of the meetings will be advertised in local newspapers. Those citizens whose contact information is in the project database will receive meeting notices by e-mail and fax. The meetings usually begin with a presentation by FDOT and its technical team members and then allow ample time for discussion between members of the public and engineers and planners. Such exchanges of information are essential to the process, as consensus on the study results needs to be reached.   

    •   How is the study being conducted?

The study consists of two tiers. Tier 1 began September 26, 2005 and is scheduled to be completed by spring, 2007. It is examining possible routes, or alignments, for north-south transit. Various kinds of transit vehicles, called technologies or modes, have also been analyzed. Tier 1 will conclude by identifying alignments and technologies most suitable for further analysis. The end result will be a corridor Record of Decision (ROD) from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), which indicates approval of the work done so far and authorization to proceed with Tier 2.

Tier 2 will begin in mid-2007 and divide the corridor into sections for more detailed analysis. It will
consider existing commuter rail service, land use densities and coordination of freight and passenger traffic. Tier 2 will conclude with determination of one or more Locally Preferred Alternatives that identify the routes and services best suited for the study corridor. The necessary documentation will then be submitted to the FTA to gain another, more detailed ROD with authorization to proceed to engineering and construction.

Both study tiers will follow requirements of the FTA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Florida’s Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) process. Depending on how the service and funding packages are structured, transit service along portions of the corridor could begin as early as 2012.

    •   What is an Alternative?

An Alternative consists of three elements:
• a particular technology or vehicle
• an alignment, or route
• an identified travel need

Alternative = technology + alignment + travel need

    •   What technologies are being considered?

A broad range of technologies were considered. Those currently under study for all or part of the
corridor are:

• Regional Rail such as a Tri-Rail train or selfpropelled railcars
• Regional Bus, a motorcoach like Greyhound making limited stops
• Light Rail Transit, electrically-propelled railcars operating at grade on their own alignment
• Bus Rapid Transit using modern buses operating at grade on their own alignment
• Rail Rapid Transit such as Metrorail, using trains of electrically-propelled cars on elevated tracks.

    •   What alignments are being considered?

A number of north-south alignments were considered. The one remaining extends the length of the tricounty corridor along the FEC Railway. In Palm Beach County a combination of I-95, US-1 and local arterials also remains under consideration for one alternative extending Tri-Rail service to Jupiter using Regional Bus.

    •   Have station areas been determined?

So far the study has just identified general areas for stations based on east-west connectivity, potential ridership and land use. These are not final determinations and will be refined in Tier 2. Specific station locations will not be selected until there has been ample consultation with the public, probably some time in 2008.

    •   Will people’s homes be taken to make room for stations?

Based on the choice of alignments, few if any homes will need to be acquired except perhaps for station development. In order to gain maximum ridership, station areas are generally located near
commercial centers. However, every effort will be made to minimize impacts should a station need
to be located in or near a residential area.

    •   How soon could passenger service be operating?

Some transit along certain segments of the corridor could be in service as early as 2012 depending on several factors -- if consensus is reached, if the project receives approval in the form of a ROD from the Federal Transit Administration and, most importantly, if the project has a local dedicated source of funding.

    •   Can passenger service be extended north beyond Tequesta into Martin County and beyond?

The limits of the present study encompass the heavily urbanized areas of Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties. Land use and travel patterns are significantly different north of the
Palm Beach-Martin County line and would warrant a separate study. Nevertheless, every
effort is being made in the present study not to rule out future options, including Amtrak, from
Martin County and beyond.

    •   Will FDOT build a noise wall along the FEC Corridor if a passenger train of some kind operates there?

If passenger trains are put into service on or alongside the FEC tracks, FDOT will conduct detailed noise studies to determine if a noise wall is warranted next to residential or other noise sensitive areas, such as schools, churches or hospitals. Generally, passenger trains are quieter and shorter than freight trains.

    •   Will passenger trains be required to sound horns at grade crossings?

Federal Railroad Administration regulations currently require trains to sound their horns at all at-grade highway crossings for valid safety concerns. However, some crossings may be reconstructed to eliminate at-grade crossings. At others, new federal "Quiet Zone" regulations could permit elimination of train horns if certain safety improvements are added to an at-grade crossing. The applicability and funding of either approach will be considered in Tier 2 as well in on-going efforts by FDOT.

    •   What will the impact be on street traffic when railway crossings are closed more often to accommodate passing transit service?

More frequent train service will mean more gate closings, although passenger trains are shorter and faster than freight trains so their impact on traffic is less severe. The study will analyze the need to raise either the roadway or the tracks, or close the crossing altogether wherever practical, in order to minimize delays to auto traffic. FDOT will work closely with each municipality along the FEC alignment and these issues will be studied in greater detail in Tier 2.

    •   How will the rail lines cross waterways like the New River in Fort Lauderdale?

This is another issue to be studied in detail in Tier 2. Most likely a fixed high level bridge will be needed to handle the frequent passenger trains since navigation takes precedence over railroads and drawbridge openings would impact train service.

    •   How many tracks can be built in the railroad right-of-way?

There is generally enough room along the FEC alignment for at least four sets of tracks—two for
passenger rail and two for freight if necessary. How many are actually built will be decided during Tier 2 of the study when certain corridor segments are examined more closely.

    •   Won't passenger service on the FEC service just duplicate Tri-Rail service?

Transit along the FEC alignment would complement and enhance Tri-Rail service, and interconnections would be made between the two services. People who presently ride Tri-Rail are generally long-distance commuters who arrive at stations by car, bus or shuttle. Transit along the FEC has the potential of servicing shorter trips with more frequent stops within easy walking distance of future transit stations. Travel forecast models predict that a combined FECTri- Rail service would generate more than twice the number of trips than Tri-Rail alone.

    •   Will freight trains be removed from the FEC alignments?

The potential of rerouting FEC freight trains was analyzed in Tier 1 and some opportunities were
identified that may be pursued by the FEC, FDOT and other study partners. Regardless of the outcome of those discussions, the necessity of servicing ports and local shippers along the FEC
corridor means there will always be some level of freight train service along that alignment.

    •   Will a transit service on the FEC run on time?

Every effort will be made starting with the earliest stages of design to ensure that passenger and
freight services will safely and reliably co-exist in the corridor from the opening day of service.
It seems many decisions will be made in Tier 2.

    •   Will the public be kept informed and have opportunities to comment on them?

There will be at least as many public meetings during Tier 2 as there were in Tier 1 and the public will definitely be consulted. Notices of meetings will be mailed to those already in the project database and announced in newspaper ads. To be added to the project database, contact any member of the SFECC Study’s Public Involvement Team listed below, or log onto www.sfeccstudy.com and add your email address to the project list.

    •   How much will the project cost?

Cost estimates for the different technologies and alignments are being prepared now and will be
presented to the public at the August, 2006 workshops.

Who will manage construction and operation of the new transit service? Will it be FDOT, the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority (SFRTA) that manages Tri-Rail, or another entity?

That decision will also be made some time in the future based on examples from around the county. The most likely solution will be a partnership between FDOT, Palm Tran, Broward County Transit, Miami- Dade Transit and the SFRTA, all of which are also partners in this study.

Please contact any member of the FEC Study’s Public Involvement Team and ask to be included in the project database. That way you will receive all meeting notices and periodic updates as the study moves forward.