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On the Roads: Repairs to start Aug. 1 on Copans Road rail crossing

Michael Turnbell | TRANSPORTATION COLUMNIST
July 20, 2008

QWhen will the Copans Road railroad crossing west of Interstate 95 in Pompano Beach be smoothed over?

Randy Kadin, Margate

A: CSX Transportation, the Jacksonville-based freight railroad that maintains the tracks, will start repairs Aug. 1.

The work had been scheduled for May, but CSX postponed it because of problems obtaining construction materials, said Hector Hartmann, railroad coordinator for the Florida Department of Transportation.

Michael Turnbell Michael Turnbell E-mail | Recent columns

Other CSX crossings to be fixed include Sample Road on Aug. 22, Hillsboro Boulevard on Sept. 12 and Atlantic Boulevard in Pompano Beach on Oct. 1.

The McNab Road crossing west of I-95 was supposed to be repaired July 11 but was postponed. No new date has been set.

While CSX handles the repairs, the municipality that owns the crossing is responsible for paying the tab.

Sample, Hillsboro and Atlantic are owned by the state. Copans is a county road, but the crossing is maintained by the state because of its proximity to the Interstate 95 ramps. The McNab crossing is owned by the county.

Q How can you tell if a SunPass transponder is defective?

Morgan Gale, Boynton Beach

A: The portable box transponders emit sounds as you drive through a SunPass lane.

If your account balance is low, the transponder will emit a series of tones: high-low-high-low. If your transponder is invalid or if the batteries are low, it will emit three low tones.

Can't tell the difference? Call SunPass at 888-865-5352.

The newer SunPass Mini sticker tags do not emit sounds or lights. To make sure your account is in good order, you'll have to check your account online at www.sunpass.com.

The portable box transponders come with a two-year warranty. The sticker tags have a 45-day warranty.

Q The approaches to intersections on State Road 84 in Fort Lauderdale were rebuilt with concrete years ago to stand up to the heavy truck traffic coming in and out of Port Everglades. But a recent paving project resulted in black tar and asphalt being streaked across the concrete. Is the contractor going to clean up the concrete?

Diane Scully, Fort Lauderdale

A: The cleanup should be under way soon if it hasn't started already.

Javier Bejarano, a project engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation, said workers will clean the concrete with high-pressure water and then put down new lane stripes.

The state is repaving S.R. 84 between Federal Highway and I-95, installing new traffic signals and changing some median openings to improve traffic flow.

The $5.1 million project will be finished this fall.

Q The barrier walls on the Tri-Rail bridge over the New River in Fort Lauderdale recently were marred again by graffiti vandals. What's being done to stop this?

Marcella Zednek, Fort Lauderdale

A: Tri-Rail is installing a surveillance camera at the top of the bridge. Dispatchers who control train traffic on the bridge will monitor the camera and alert authorities if they see trespassers.



Related topic galleries: Fort Lauderdale, Building Material, Florida Department of Transportation, Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Beach Vacations, Railway Transportation

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