(The following story by Larry Lebowitz appeared on the Miami Herald website on April 12.)
MIAMI — Tri-Rail trains will cross Fort Lauderdale’s New River via a new $78 million bridge starting Friday morning.
With the opening of the bridge, three trains that had been temporarily suspended during the final stage of construction will be put back into service starting Friday, according to the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority.
With the bridge’s completion, Tri-Rail is preparing to expand its schedule from 40 to 50 trains per day. The new schedule is expected to go into effect around April 30.
The $78 million bridge, which is 55 feet above the river at its summit, runs parallel to Interstate 95. It took more than four years to build.
Trains previously operated on a draw bridge, which was raised and lowered to accommodate trains and nautical traffic. Since boats have priority over trains, Tri-Rail says it would have been impossible to operate the 20- and 30-minute frequencies that are anticipated with the new schedule.