TRI RAIL CONSIDERING 2nd BOCA RATON STOP

TRI RAIL CONSIDERING 2nd BOCA RATON STOP

I am really happy to write about this one! Originally from New York, one of the things I loved about living there was the ability to use mass transit to the point where very few residents there have or need cars. Everyone walks, takes the subway, taxis or buses. Since I moved to Florida I have always dreamed of mass transit catching on here and making all of our lives easier, safer and more enjoyable. The effort has been going very slowly, to say the least, but it is catching on. Especially here in Boca Raton I am proud to say! The Tri-Rail stop in Boca at Yamato Road has become the most heavily trafficked stop in Florida with 1,600 passengers daily, recently surpassing Miami’s Metrorail stop. Given the success and demand, a 2nd Boca Raton stop is being contemplated on Military Trail close to Boca Shops. This stop would serve the Town Center Mall as well as the numerous office buildings that are in that area. Most importantly, it could relieve already over capacity traffic on Glades Road, the most congested road in all of Palm Beach County. There is currently $18.5 million on the table to make this a reality, with $8.5 million coming from Federal money from the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization and $10 million from the Florida Department of Transportation. While it could be built by 2018, the next step is a 2 year study by Tri-Rail to make sure it makes sense. The issues are that the stops would be only 2 miles apart instead of the typical 4, but there is also a lack of parking at the site. This would make it dependent on shuttle buses, which is not ideal. I am thrilled that this is even being discussed, much less that it is already funded! I think it is going to happen, and maybe it will spur more cities to invest in their Tri-Rail stops and ridership. As always thanks for reading and have a great day.