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Week of May 06, 2004 |
| Biscayne Boulevard to get major facelift By Susan StableyThe Florida Department of Transportation plans to launch a major reconstruction of Biscayne Boulevard this month stretching from Miami Shores south to downtown Miami. Work from NE 87th to 104th streets may begin by the middle of the month, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. The two-year project is expected to cost $7.8 million. "The good news is: They are starting the road project. The bad news is: They are starting the road project," said Bob Flanders, vice president and co-founder of the Upper Eastside Miami Council and a Palm Bay resident since 1981. "They are making the roads friendly and safer," he said. Work on Miami's Upper Eastside is more than a year away, but area activists praise the project as a promotion for pedestrians, he said. Plans for the boulevard, one of the county's important north-south corridors, include installation of new drainage, sidewalks, handicap ramps, street lights and signs for drivers and walkers. Landscaped medians will be installed, and some middle lanes used for left turns will be eliminated. The state has planned enhancements to Biscayne, also known as US 1, for many years, and civic groups have called for work on the corridor since the mid-1990s. Miami city officials worked with the state to ensure that a realignment of the boulevard in the urban core would include construction of wider sidewalks. Biscayne Boulevard, like Brickell Avenue and Coral Way, are local roads serving residents but heavily traveled by commuters as major arteries. Some concessions were made for the heavy business district to accommodate commercial traffic, according to transportation officials, and some sections won't have medians. Work to redevelop and narrow Biscayne Boulevard from Miami Shores to downtown Miami could continue well into 2006. Construction is scheduled to start this month from Miami Shores south, with work on other sections of the boulevard is expected to follow. Next on the Florida Department of Transportation schedule is an 18-month rebuilding project slated to begin in October from 105th to 123rd streets. A bridge over the Biscayne Canal between 104th and 105th streets is excluded from plans because it is in good condition, according to the department. In July 2005, workers will start on Biscayne Boulevard downtown, from Fifth to 13th streets, at an estimated cost of $6 million. In September 2005, the boulevard from 35th to 67th streets is to be reconstructed at an estimated cost of $11.5 million. Both sections within the city limits of Miami are still in the design phase. In January 2006, work is to begin on the corridor from 67th to 87th streets for $8.9 million. Work will take place 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, pending good weather or other circumstances. Drivers should expect detours and lane closures. Peter Ehrlich of the Lemon City Taxpayers Association, a property owner in Little Haiti, is not happy with the project. "Once the FDOT construction starts, the trip from downtown to Aventura could take two hours," said Mr. Ehrlich. "When FDOT starts narrowing Biscayne from Northeast 87th Street to Northeast 36th Street, and particularly when they reduce the lanes from six to four between Northeast 36th Street to Northeast 54th Street, we will be in gridlock during most of the day and night." "While it's happening, it will be sheer hell," said Bob Flanders, vice president and co-founder of the Upper Eastside Miami Council, who joked that he may leave town during construction. But, he said, "No pain, no gain." Mr. Flanders said Biscayne Boulevard, like Brickell Avenue and Coral Way, are local roads serving residents that many commuters use as major arteries. "The biggest concern is safety. Put in a median, and people slow down," he said. Many concessions were made in the heavy business district to accommodate for commercial traffic. Some sections won't have the medians. "We wanted (medians) for safety for crossing," he said, but because of the need to allow traffic to turn, "we backed off."
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