PLACEMENT: Departmental
TITLE:
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RAILROAD SAFETY CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND FLORIDA EAST COAST RAILROAD QUIET ZONE UPDATE
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
executive summary
County staff will present an update on the Railroad Safety Capital Improvement Program and on the evaluation of establishing one or more Quiet Zones over the Florida East Coast right-of-way within Martin County. The presentation will review the risks, benefits, and requirements of Quiet Zones and how they apply within Martin County.
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DEPARTMENT: Public Works
PREPARED BY: Name: Erik Ferguson, PE
Title: Traffic Engineering Administrator
REQUESTED BY: Board of County Commissioners
PRESET: 10:30 AM
PROCEDURES: None
BACKGROUND/RELATED STRATEGIC GOAL:
Brightline Trains, LLC (formerly All Aboard Florida) began commercial operations on the Florida East Coast (FEC) rail line through the Treasure Coast in September 2023, adding approximately 32 daily trips through the FEC corridor. This change prompted community interest in establishing Quiet Zones with Martin County to minimize the noise impact from the increased rail traffic. In response to the public interest, Martin County leadership strategically decided to wait one year from the start of Brightline operations before analyzing the risks, benefits, and requirements of establishing one or more Quiet Zones over the FEC Right-of-Way (ROW). This decision allowed the impacts of the Brightline rail traffic through the County to be closely observed and assessed. With the passing of the 1-year anniversary of Brightline’s expansion of commercial operations through Martin County, County staff began this analysis.
At the March 11, 2025, Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, staff presented quiet zone options. The BOCC elected to not pursue quiet zones. Subsequently, the Fiscal Year 2025-2026 Capital Improvement Plan was adopted with the addition of a Railroad Safety activity.
At the May 19, 2026 BOCC meeting, staff were directe...
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