Groundbreaking on South Corridor Busway Upgrades
/In 2002, Miami-Dade County started collecting a one-half of one percent Surtax on eligible sales transactions for transit and transportation-related projects. This tax, known as the half-penny tax, has been controversial ever since.
For the past several years, progress has been made to improve the exclusive transit right-of-way, parallel to US-1, known as the Busway which was rebranded as the Transitway. Whatever you called it, this underutilized, but extremely valuable path of land stretching from Dadeland South to SW 344 Street needed modernization. And after years of research and input, a Bus Rapid Transit project, a.k.a. the SMART project, was the winning plan.
Overall, there are six corridors that will be funded and built. The South Corridor, as described above, is the first one to be funded.
One June 4, County Mayor Levine Cava, along with former Mayor Carlos Jimenez and the Mayors of Pinecrest, Palmetto Bay, Cutler Bay, Florida City and Homestead took part in a huge groundbreaking ceremony at the SW 296 Street Park and Ride. Many other stakeholders were on-hand from FDOT, the Economic Development Council of South Miami-Dade (EDC), Miami-Dade Transportation Planning Organization (TPO), the Citizen’s Independent Transportation Trust (CITT) and more.
Before the event started County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava remarked, “Although this wasn’t my number one choice, we are moving forward today with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and it will be transformational. It’s going to be quicker transportation with outstanding stations with weatherization and air conditioning. We want it to be a solution for those who depend on public transit and those who have a choice.”
EDC Executive Director Peter England summed up the project, “This is a big shot in the arm for the South Dade economy. We will soon be able to bring people south to the hundreds of jobs we are creating down here, including one under-wraps project that might balloon the new jobs number to approximately 25,000!”
The project will provide 20 miles of exclusive transit right-of-way, parallel to US-1, with signal preemption, offering an easy 60-minute ride from Homestead to Downtown Miami. It includes 14 newly constructed iconic rapid transit stations, improvements to the two end-of-line terminals at Dadeland South and SW 344 Street, and the rehabilitation of the 16 existing stations along the corridor. Additionally, the 14 BRT stations will include level boarding, off-board fare collection, real-time messaging for bus arrivals, closed circuit TV, free Wi-Fi and other amenities such as air-conditioned vestibules, emergency call boxes, bike racks, benches, and device charging stations.
Pinecrest Mayor Joe Corradino exclaimed, “This is a giant step forward that is 40 years in the making. It will help us maintain and improve our quality of life in Pinecrest and work to solve affordable housing and commute issues throughout South Dade.”
“It is one more tool in the tool bucket for moving people around our County,” explained Palmetto Bay Mayor Karyn Cunningham. “Our goal is to reduce commute times.”
Cutler Bay’s Mayor Tim Meerbott said, “This is a fulfillment of a promise long overdue and it should serve as a spark to bring more jobs down south.”
The sentinel moment of the many speeches was when Mayor Levine Cava said, “If we want our citizens to choose public transportation, we need to create and give them choice public transportation.”
The 90-minute event culminated with 12 shovels ceremonially breaking ground on the entire South Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project.
It is expected to be completed within two years. In late 2020, Miami-Dade County was awarded a $99.9 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration specifically for the South Corridor Rapid Transit Project. This was the first Federal Capital Investment Grant that Miami-Dade County had received since the Metromover extension in 1993 and the original South Miami-Dade Busway in 1999. Overall, the project is expected to cost nearly $300 million.
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