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Dear Stakeholder,
Thank you for your interest and involvement regarding the Broward Commuter Rail (BCR) Study that Broward County and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have been conducting. The Study is evaluating options related to providing commuter rail passenger service along the Florida East Coast (FEC) railroad corridor, an important mobility choice for the region. The Study is progressing, and we want to provide you with the following update:
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The project team held an Alternatives Public Workshop (APW) offering both virtual and an in-person option on January 27 and January 31, 2022, respectively, to over 200 participants.
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The project team continues active outreach and educational efforts–meeting with civic, homeowner, and business associations.
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Community and business leaders, policy makers, and stakeholders have requested workshops to discuss the Study and overall feasibility of the project. This has included a summit conducted by the Broward Workshop and the Tower Forum in which the City of Fort Lauderdale, FDOT, Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), and Broward County all participated.
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These meetings and forums have generated valuable discussion on the project generally and, more specifically, alternatives to cross the New River.
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The team is developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document to help summarize most of the questions and feedback we have received through various meetings, emails, letters, and phone calls. The team anticipates distributing this FAQ document, as well as posting the document on the website, within the next two weeks.
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The presentation slides that have been used for each meeting have been posted to the project website, which can be accessed at www.browardcommuterrailstudy.com.
We anticipate the Broward County Commission discussing the project in the May/June timeframe. While not at this meeting, the Broward County Commission will ultimately be responsible for approving a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) identifying general station locations and the single recommended alternative to cross the New River. The mode of transit and corridor have already been determined through previous studies. An LPA is necessary to enter the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) Project Development process and compete for federal funds; however, it does not ensure the project will be funded or ultimately realized.
Through its role providing on-going Study coordination, the project team remains available to attend additional stakeholder meetings to present and/or provide question and answer sessions.
We thank you for your continued interest in this important and complex Study. We encourage you to review all of the materials that were presented at the APW and at the recent civic association meetings at our website, www.browardcommuterrailstudy.com.
Contact Information:
Phil Schwab, P.E.
FDOT Project Manager
3400 W. Commercial Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
[email protected]
954-777-4524
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