Broward County Gets $15 Million From Biden Administration to Reduce Train-Vehicle Collisions

The state of Florida, which ranks number six among all 50 states for the most railroad crossing deaths, will receive funds due to the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure law.

In May of 2023, a Tri-Rail train struck a vehicle in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, killing its passenger. Video recorded at the scene showed the vehicle on fire, leaving only a blackened hunk of metal on the tracks. 

Although most people think fatal accidents involving trains and road vehicles are a rare occurrence, information provided by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) shows that between 2014 and 2018, there were over 400 railroad accidents in the country. The state of Florida ranks number six among all 50 states for the most railroad crossing deaths in the US.

Now, as part of President Biden’s $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure law, the White House announced Monday that it has awarded more than $570 million in funding for projects across the nation to help eliminate at-grade railroad crossings—the places where rail tracks intersect with roads and accidents often happen. 

RELATED: South Florida to Get Over $70 Million to Replace Rail Vehicles Through Biden’s Infrastructure Law

In Florida, Broward County will get up to $15.4 million in grants to help increase safety at 21 grade crossings along the Florida East Coast Railway, a freight rail corridor shared with Brightline’s intercity passenger rail service. According to the FRA, 17% of the collisions along the corridor are the result of motorists driving around entrance gates, with nearly 60% of those cases occurring in Broward County.

Safety improvements will include construction of 33 new exit gates and 7 raised medians at crossings where at least 27 collisions have occurred over the last five years.

The Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization and six local municipalities (Dania Beach, Wilton Manors, Ft. Lauderdale, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood, and Pompano Beach) will also contribute a 20% spending match to fund additional safety upgrades at busy rail crossings.

White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu said these projects will improve safety, eliminate countless hours of wait time for commuters, and first responders on their way to save lives.”