The New Port of Miami Tunnel

Earlier this week, the Port of Miami Tunnel officially opened. I thought it would be fun to document a drive through it while it's clean and shiny.

After three decades of planning, the $1-billion Port of Miami Tunnel opened for public use on August 3. The tunnel runs 100 feet under Biscayne Bay connecting the MacArthur Causeway on Watson Island with the Port of Miami on Dodge Island. Its function is to “provide direct access between the seaport and highways I-395 and I-95,” Florida Department of Transportation states, “thus alleviating truck traffic through downtown.”

I drove the tunnel on its fourth day of operation and found it clean and efficient, borrowing lots of its style from the Lincoln Tunnel in NYC. The drive takes just over a minute.

I found it odd that traffic coming from Miami Beach cannot enter the tunnel, nor can you exit towards the beach. Officials decided that hooking the westbound side of the MacArthur to the tunnel would involve too many dollars and too few vehicles.

There are no tolls to pay, but MAT Concessionaire LLC, which operates the tunnel, gets $33 million a year from the state of Florida. So, as they say, nothing is truly free. Our taxes will fund the $33 million annually.

I also wanted to mention that my late father-in-law was Chairman of the financial committee that helped get this project started. Hats off to you Al! Wish you could see it...