Brightline will use grant money to up game on grade crossing safety
Written by RT&S Staff
Brightline will receive $25 million, which will go towards safety enhancements at grade crossings.
Brightline
Brightline and a bipartisan coalition of congressional officials announced a grant award of $25 million from the U.S. DOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), in partnership with Brightline, was awarded the grant to enhance safety along the Florida East Coast Railway/Brightline corridor between Miami-Dade and Brevard counties. The award, combined with up to $20 million in matching funds from FDOT and Brightline, will result in a $45 million investment.
The grant application was supported by Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott and Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Mario Diaz-Balart, Frederica Wilson, Ted Deutch, Lois Frankel, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick. The grant application received substantial community support from local municipalities, all metropolitan planning organizations, and the Florida East Coast Railway, which operates freight trains along the corridor.
The project will construct at least 33 miles of pedestrian protection features and supplemental safety measures at 328 grade crossings. The scope of work will include rail dynamic envelopes, delineators, raised pavement markers, edge striping, fencing and additional safety signage in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Brevard counties.
“We’re relentless about safety and are constantly seeking new ways to mitigate the behaviors we are seeing along the corridor,” said Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline. “The engineering solutions made possible by the RAISE grant combined with our ongoing education campaign will go a long way in promoting safety. This was a statewide push and we appreciate the Federal Railroad Administration, FDOT, elected officials, and local stakeholders who amplified this effort.”
Brightline is currently operating between Miami and West Palm Beach and constructing an extension from West Palm Beach to Orlando, which is expected to launch service in 2023. Two new stations, in Boca Raton and Aventura, will open before the end of 2022.
Read more articles on grade crossings.
