The Premium Mobility Plan (PREMO) is expected to be a game changer for public transit in Broward County.
“It includes a series of different modes of transportation that we currently don’t have. So we’ll have commuter rail, we’ll have light rail, we’ll have bus rapid transit and we’ll have high-frequency bus service in addition to the normal fixed route service that we have in Broward County,” said Coree Cuff Lonergan, the general manager and director of transportation for Broward County Transit.
The program through Broward County Transit is bringing 200 new miles of premium transportation services to the county with eight east-west corridors and six north-south corridors.
“We’re going to have a commuter rail line that’s going to connect county line to county line, connecting Palm Beach County and Miami Dade County and it will go along the Florida East Coast Corridor," Cuff Lonergan said. "It will include stops both on the southern end initially and that will be Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale airport and near Broward Health."
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In addition to a new commuter rail line, there are plans in the works for a light rail transit option connecting Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, the Seaport and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center.
“Some of the other cross-county modes include light rail," Cuff Lonergan said. "So if you’re trying to get to for example, the Sawgrass Mills Mall, there will be a light rail line that will take you from the airport to Sawgrass Mills Mall if that’s where you’re trying to get to."
“I think that will be awesome. It’s needed, it’s well needed, said Tommie Taylor, a frequent user of public transportation.
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“They need something that needs to go out west, so I think it would be a good idea. I think people would use it,” said Frank Vicknair, a frequent user of public transportation.
There are also plans for a new bus rapid transit line and high-frequency bus service. PREMO will be a $4.3 billion dollar investment over a 15-year period.
“One of the things that Broward County did and had the foresight to do was to pass the Penny Sales Tax. That surtax is essentially what’s going to fund the majority of these projects,” Cuff Lonergan said.
The full funding will come from a mix of federal, state and local funds. PREMO’s commuter rail line will be the first project to come into service with an anticipated opening in 2027.
More information on PREMO can be found here.
