Have you noticed things getting quieter?
The long-awaited quiet zone in Broward County went into effect on Saturday when the train horns along the Florida East Coast Railway (FEC) corridor officially stopped sounding.
We at the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) along with our partners from Brightline are proud to announce the completion of this project.
Construction began in late 2016 and this 26-mile corridor runs along the entire (FEC) corridor in Broward County, which includes the Cities of Deerfield Beach, Pompano Beach, Oakland Park, Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach, Hollywood and Hallandale Beach. You will notice the “No Train Horn” signs now installed.
The project has certainly had challenges to overcome, but as we are so close to crossing the finish line to completion, it is important to draw attention to the positive impact this will have to our communities.
We acknowledge the patience of those living along the corridor who have been impacted by the sounding of the train horns and believe in the quality of life improvements that this quiet zone will bring. It is also important for all in Broward to know that if the train engineer perceives an emergency, or the train is travelling through construction, the horn will sound.
This represents $5 million in investment and four years of effort by the Broward MPO and its partners and brings improvements to 24 gate crossings and additional pedestrian and safety improvements.
The Broward MPO has played a key leadership role in getting this quiet zone operational in our region. I am so proud of the work that we have done with our partner cities and agencies; this is not the type of project that can be done alone.
Investments such as this are helping change the way we move throughout our region and we continue to focus our efforts on transportation solutions for everyone and make Broward a great place to live, work and play.
A ribbon cutting is taking place to celebrate this achievement on Monday May 20 please visit BrowardMPO.org for more details.
Gregory Stuart is the Executive Director of the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Broward MPO is a transportation policy-making board responsible for transportation planning and funding allocation in Broward County. The Broward MPO works with the public, planning organizations, government agencies, elected officials, and community groups to develop transportation plans.
