Palm Beach MPO weighing port access

Palm Beach MPO weighing port access    The Metropolitan Planning Organization for Palm Beach County is weighing the options for a railroad crossing near the Port of Palm Beach that could significantly impact port access in the future.
   The MPO has endorsed a plan to build a new street-level crossing over Florida East Coast Railway tracks near the south end of the port. Both the port and the railroad oppose the idea of an at-grade crossing, citing both safety reasons and the need for better traffic flows in and out of the port as cargo volumes increase in the years ahead.
   The port would prefer a crossing that would be built over the railroad tracks. Officials say that building a street-level crossing would jeopardize plans for a $12 million rail improvement project at the south end of the port, according to a report in the Palm Beach Post.
   City officials from Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach are opposed to a flyover road, claiming such a project would harm existing neighborhoods.
   With no consensus on the issue, the MPO voted on November 16 to take 90 days to review the options. A third option, proposed by County Commissioner Warren Newell, calls for building a tunnel under the rail tracks.