Friday, August 8, 2014

All Aboard Florida report; no significant impact to Palm Beach Co | www.mypalmbeachpost.com

The 500 page report is out and it concludes no significant impact related to environmental impact, but noise considerations are important and they are being addressed. Kimberly Miller does a good job in this Post story summarizing some of the report's details and interviews neighboring property owners. Click title for link. From the article:
The evaluation was completed in June, and corroborated an earlier finding of “no significant impact” if All Aboard Florida takes measures to mitigate the bleating sound of train horns — something the Coral Gables-based company has committed to doing.
Safety upgrades at crossings through most of Palm Beach County will allow for less obtrusive wayside horns that are mounted at crossings. Crossings north of 30th Street in West Palm Beach will get added measures so trains can silence their horns all together, per Florida Department of Transportation requirements.
“The corridor has existed in the affected environment for more than 100 years, and consequently, communities have generally built up around and along the corridor,” notes the report, a 500-page document filed with the Federal Railroad Administration. Demographic details in this story come from the report unless otherwise noted.
And then there is this summary at the end of the article:

WHAT THE STUDY FOUND
Here’s what within 500 feet of the FEC tracks between Boca Raton and West Palm Beach:
40 schools
17 grocery stores
89 religious centers
157,874 people
47 percent of corridor zoned single-family
Source: AMEC Environment & Infrastructure
FEC CROSSINGS FACTS
114 crossings in Palm Beach County
Each closed 1.7 minutes per hour for two 76 mph passenger trains
Each closed 2.4 minutes per hour for 39 mph freight train
Source: AMEC Environment & Infrastructure
FEC CROSSINGS FACTS
114 crossings in Palm Beach County
Each closed 1.7 minutes per hour for 76 mph passenger train
Each closed 2.4 minutes per hour for 39 mph freight train
Source: AMEC Environment & Infrastructure