Page 20 - CRCCE0424

Mayor’s Message

he city’s continuing investigation of the best way that commuter rail traffic can
cross the New River has begun to bear some incredible results — results that
Tcould reshape the ongoing discussions with state and county officials about the
viability of a tunnel instead of a bridge.

First, the city’s consultants at BDO have announced their findings that address
concerns previously raised about tunnel construction and future operations. They
concluded a tunnel could be built at a third of the cost that other consultants estimated
earlier and in a way that would not require the additional expense of forcing nearby
property owners to sell their land as they would need to do for a bridge.

Dean Trantalis
MAYOR
City of Fort Lauderdale
dtrantalis@fortlauderdale.gov

City Hall, 8th Floor
100 N Andrews Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311

Office Contact
Scott Wyman
Chief of Staff to the Mayor Second, the builder and operator of the Port of Miami tunnel has come forward with
swyman@fortlauderdale.gov details of their success, providing an independent and unvarnished analysis of tunneling
954.828.5314 in South Florida. They have even stated that they would be interested in eventually
submitting a proposal for a public-private partnership for a New River tunnel.

While Broward County is moving forward with planning for a high-rise bridge
splitting our downtown, these new developments breathe fresh life into the tunnel
alternative. During a tour of the Miami tunnel with county leaders, we began seeing
new openness to the idea. We hope this cooperative spirit can continue forward.

Here’s what the BDO consultants have told us.
They have drawn up rough designs that illustrate a tunnel could be built with no
disruption to current Brightline trains or freight traffic. This is of critical importance to
both Brightline and the Florida East Coast Railroad.

18 CORAL RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

3/18/24 7:01 PM
CRCCE 0424.indd 18 3/18/24 7:01 PM
CRCCE 0424.indd 18