Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D FL-23) recently presented the city of Boca Raton with a $2 million ceremonial check to commemorate the city’s receipt of a Congressional Community Project Funding award. The award will provide partial funding for the construction of the Jeffery Street Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing in northeast Boca Raton over the Florida East Coast Railway corridor. The new crossing will improve “connectivity, traffic flow, and emergency response capabilities” and will provide a roadway connection between NW 2nd Avenue and Federal Highway/US-1. The project includes closing the existing NW 28th Street railroad crossing and replacing it with the new, at-grade crossing at Jeffery Street. The master plan incorporates roadway extension and widening, plus signal modifications, sidewalks, drainage, lighting, signage, striping and the like.
Controversy Over Rep. Moskowitz’s Support of the Project
Rep. Moskowitz is claiming credit for the project’s funding, although according to Florida’s Voice, records show that in Congress he voted against this funding. “Critics say his [Moskowitz’s] opposition stemmed from his support for prioritizing federal immigration enforcement funding cuts over delivering for his constituents.”
Congressman Moskowitz, himself, counters this criticism. While in Boca Raton he said, “This is about more than reopening a railroad crossing. The Jeffery Street project means faster routes for our first responders, and it means a community that’s no longer cut off from itself. It’s rewarding to see the federal funding we fought so hard for come to fruition today, but getting it done couldn’t have happened without our partnership with the City of Boca Raton, Florida East Coast Railway, and FDOT [Florida Department of Transportation]. I’m proud to be Boca Raton’s partner in Washington, and I will never stop until every dollar this project needs is brought back to our community where it belongs.”
Agreement Among Florida East Coast Railway, FDOT and the City of Boca Raton
A formal agreement among the Florida East Coast Railway, LLC, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and the City of Boca Raton allows construction of the new crossing and at the same time the closing of the nearby NW 28th Street crossing. According to the City, when completed …”the project will help fill a long-standing gap in the local roadway network and improve east-west access in the northern part of the City.”
The Jeffery Street Railway Crossing project is part of a broader plan that runs the length of the Florida East Coast Railway from Cocoa Beach to Miami. The entire project is funded by a Federal Railroad Administration RAISE grant. The contractor for the project is Gonzalez & Sons Equipment, Inc. For the Jeffery Street project and in concert with FDOT, Gonzalez will add “… delineators, reflective pavement markers, striping, and signage at crossings throughout the area, with most work happening between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.”
The Project and Road Closures Start July 14
According to the City of Boca Raton, road closures will start on Tuesday, July 14 at Hidden Valley. On Wednesday, July 15, lane closures will be at Yamato Road, from 7 a.m.until 12:00 p.m. and also at Palmetto Park Road. On Thursday, July 16, lanes will be closed at Glades Road from 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m, and a full closure will be experienced at NW 28th Street. On Friday, July 17, Spanish River Boulevard will close down completely.
The project continues the next week with NW 20th Street closed on Monday, July 20 and SW 18th Street closed on Tuesday, July 21. Completion is scheduled for Wednesday, July 22, with lanes closed at Camino Real from 12:00 p.m. to 5 p.m. and with NE 2nd Street closed completely.
Officials remind the public that “…traffic and pedestrian detours will be managed at each site while work is underway”. Timelines are not set in stone. Due to weather conditions and other issues they can be altered.