Advocacy Report
By: MIASF Staff
Date posted: Jun 29, 2020 Mon
An FEC rail upgrade will result in the nighttime closure of the bridge over the New River for four weeks beginning July 27th. The upgrade of the rails will permit freight trains to pass the bridge at a higher rate of speed and ultimately reduce closure times. MIASF worked closely with FEC and the U.S. Coast Guard to schedule the work, with a priority to keep disruption of operations on the river to a minimum. During the week of August 17th there will be necessary daylight work that will be conducted to coincide with the regular afternoon lockdown for rush hour traffic. The detailed schedule of the closure times can be found on the MIASF website here. For information during the project, captains should communicate with the bridge tender and consult the New River Bridge app for the most up to date information.
Last week, MIASF recognized five outstanding individuals with its annual Advocacy Awards. The efforts of these public servants in the support of the marine industry have permitted essential businesses to continue operations, facilitated ease of entry for foreign yacht crew to travel to their vessels in the U.S., kept the waterways safe and navigable, and helped us maintain the economic viability of our businesses. MIASF truly appreciates the ongoing support of Senator Marco Rubio, Congressman Ted Deutch, Representative Chip LaMarca, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Ben Sorensen, and U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Jo-Ann Burdian.