Port Everglades to discuss near-dock rail terminal
The Broward County Board of County Commissioners Tuesday authorized Port Everglades’ staff to begin talks with the Florida East Coast Railway toward development of an intermodal rail transfer facility at the port, the Journal of Commerce reported.
The Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, approved by the board of county commissioners March 1, envisions a near-dock ICTF in the port's Southport area as a public-private partnership. The port had been approached by the Florida East Coast Railway to partner with the county in this development.
The completion of memorandum of understanding would be the first step towards a broader agreement for construction and operation of the ICTF.
The proposed rail terminal will be served by the Eller Drive overpass project, which the Florida Department of Transportation will begin construction on in July,2011. The rail overpass is the first necessary step in moving the ICTF forward by allowing for an at-grade rail connection directly into Southport.
The Eller Drive overpass project is fully funded by the state and is estimated to cost $54 million. It will consist of a four-lane bridge overpass on the primary entrance to the port. This overpass will allow for construction of an at-grade rail spur to Southport while facilitating unrestricted movement to and from container and cruise terminals and to I-595 and the Florida Turnpike highway systems. The project also involves the widening, realignment, and construction of service roads parallel to the overpass.
The facility would facilitate the transfer of containerized cargo through the port onto the FEC rail line via a connecting rail spur. The proposed ICTF would handle both domestic and international cargo, which are currently being handled on the 14-acre site on Andrews Avenue that is owned by the FEC.
The Port Everglades Master/Vision Plan, approved by the board of county commissioners March 1, envisions a near-dock ICTF in the port's Southport area as a public-private partnership. The port had been approached by the Florida East Coast Railway to partner with the county in this development.
The completion of memorandum of understanding would be the first step towards a broader agreement for construction and operation of the ICTF.
The proposed rail terminal will be served by the Eller Drive overpass project, which the Florida Department of Transportation will begin construction on in July,2011. The rail overpass is the first necessary step in moving the ICTF forward by allowing for an at-grade rail connection directly into Southport.
The Eller Drive overpass project is fully funded by the state and is estimated to cost $54 million. It will consist of a four-lane bridge overpass on the primary entrance to the port. This overpass will allow for construction of an at-grade rail spur to Southport while facilitating unrestricted movement to and from container and cruise terminals and to I-595 and the Florida Turnpike highway systems. The project also involves the widening, realignment, and construction of service roads parallel to the overpass.
The facility would facilitate the transfer of containerized cargo through the port onto the FEC rail line via a connecting rail spur. The proposed ICTF would handle both domestic and international cargo, which are currently being handled on the 14-acre site on Andrews Avenue that is owned by the FEC.
