New River train bridge project will ‘put Broward County on the map,’ says designer

Writer: Pablo Marquez

September 2024 — Broward County recently revealed three new designs for its New River train bridge project, estimated to cost up to $495 million.

The designs, created by San Francisco-based consulting firm TYLin, show the future commuter train that will connect Miami and Jupiter along the Florida East Coast Railway, passing through Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, and West Palm Beach. 

According to TYLin Project Manager Joseph Yesbeck, the new bridges concept would be the first of their kind in the U.S. “No other moveable rail bridge incorporates significant aesthetic elements like these do,” said Yesbeck, as cited in a Broward County news release. “If the project moves forward, this will effectively put Broward County on the map as the only U.S. County with such a bridge.”

Freight and Brightline trains would be used to travel the tracks of the anticipated railway. 

TYLin submitted the designs to Broward County, with planning focused on alleviating the disruptions caused by the county’s $9 billion marine industry. Current railway infrastructure for freight and Brightline trains in Fort Lauderdale includes a drawbridge from the ’70s that stands 4.5 feet above water and closes multiple times a day. The design proposal would elevate the rail bridges by 40 feet in order to let boat traffic through with ease and avoid congestions.

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The estimated cost for both bridges lies between $470 million and $495 million. However, Broward County Mayor Nan Rich believes project costs will be lower while Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis expects higher costs, the Sun Sentinel reports.

Trantalis has been in favor of building a tunnel for commuter rail for some time, as highlighted in his State of the City 2023 address. “Let’s face it, the tunnel remains the only viable answer…so much has been invested in our downtown, so many people have moved downtown, and so much has focused on the rebuilding of an area that has long been dormant,” he said.

To date, Broward County and the city of Fort Lauderdale have spent over half a million dollars on studies proving their respective infrastructure positions for the commuter rail.

“We need to move ahead. It is our project, and we need to move ahead with this, we can’t hold it up any longer,” said Rich, as cited by WLRN.

Despite efforts being made by Fort Lauderdale officials to pursue grants for the underground tunnel, the county has the final say on the matter. In December 2023, Fort Lauderdale city commissioners narrowly voted 3-2 in favor of the new overhead bridge substituting the old drawbridge, dealing a blow to tunnel supporters.

“Ultimately I think the city and the county will come together when we actually need to make the ask for the construction and the engineering aspect of whatever project we move forward with,” said Trantalis, maintaining a positive attitude towards collaborating with Broward County. 

“The City of Fort Lauderdale continues to affirm a tunnel as the locally preferred alternative. However, if after collaboration with the Broward County it is determined that a tunnel is not a feasible option then we will support the Broward County in advancing a mid-level bascule drawbridge as an alternative,” he added.

Images via Broward County

READ MORE: Fort Lauderdale digs deeper into tunnel concept to ease congestion downtown