Coming to Boca Raton: A safer and more coordinated rail crossing network
7/23/2026
By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
Boca Raton has dealt with a long-standing gap in its local roadway network and the need to improve east-west access in a portion of the southern Florida city. The solution: the Jeffery Street Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing project.
In the works for more than six years, the project calls for creating a grade crossing at Jeffery Street along Florida East Coast Railway LLC (FEC) track, closing the existing NW 28th Street crossing and extending the roadway connection between NW 2nd Avenue and Federal Highway/U.S. Route 1.
The new crossing is expected to improve connectivity, mobility and public safety in northeast Boca Raton — providing better travel options for residents, businesses and emergency responders — and restore a critical connection across the rail corridor.
The city recently received $2 million in federal funding to help kickstart the project and work is expected to start in fall. The funds came from a Congressional Community Project Funding award.
Planning efforts continue for the project, which is being coordinated by the city in partnership with FEC and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT).
"The total cost for the project is budgeted at $20 million, which includes a road build-out from NW 2nd Avenue to the FEC tracks, an underpass to connect the north and south portions of North Park, the FEC rail crossing infrastructure and the road build-out to connect Jeffery Street from Dixie Highway to Federal Highway," said Ileana Olmsted, a public relations specialist for the city, in an email.
Boca Raton will provide $18 million for the project and there currently is no funding committed from FDOT or the FEC, she said.
Florida East Coast Railway has partnered with the city on the Jeffery Street Railroad-Highway Grade Crossing project. The Florida DOT also is a project partner.Florida East Coast Railway LLCCity records show the project was first identified in 1956, but it was added to a comprehensive plan map series in 2020 as a future roadway, then placed in the city’s capital improvement plan, Olmsted added.
The project will include roadway extension and widening work, intersection improvements, signal modifications, sidewalks, drainage, lighting, signage, striping and other related safety improvements.
The city expects to soon select a design-build plan and contractor. Permitting and utility coordination is anticipated to start in the third quarter, with work commencing in November.
Design, construction and crossing activation work is scheduled to be conducted from fourth-quarter 2026 to fourth-quarter 2027, with completion expected before 2027's end.
Afterwards, a more coordinated rail crossing network will enable the city to better coordinate crossing spacing and safety standards with rail and transportation partners, Boca Raton leaders say.
"There will be enhanced connectivity for emergency responders by adding an access point across the rail corridor, increasing flexibility during routine calls, traffic disruptions and emergencies," they say.
