Miami port rail link construction set
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-ChiefConstruction will begin this Friday to restore Port of Miami on-dock rail capability courtesy of the Florida East Coast Railway. The $50 million project will rehabilitate a bridge damaged and by Hurricane Wilma in 2005, while construction of the Intermodal Rail Yard on Dodge Island will enable Miami to accommodate super cargo ships scheduled to arrive in 2014 with the expansion of the Panama Canal.
The ceremonial groundbreaking Friday is expected to include Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, and other elected officials.
Funding includes a $22.8 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant from DOT, along with funding from Florida’s Department of Transportation, Florida East Coast Railway, and Miami-Dade County.
Private equity firm Fortress Investment Group, based in New York, is the parent of Jacksonville, Fla.-based FEC, which recently joined the Association of American Railroads.
