Service at failing level on major Miami Beach roadways

Along with resolutions to try to mitigate Miami Beach traffic congestion, city officials are urging Miami-Dade County to expedite review of traffic light synchronization along major corridors including Collins Avenue, the MacArthur Causeway and Alton Road that now operate at a failing level of service.

That failing grade, said Jose Gonzalez, city transportation and mobility director, takes into account traffic speed, volume of cars and density in a highway.

The MacArthur Causeway, Alton Road, 63rd Street and areas of Collins Avenue are operating at level F (the worse classification), “and not only at peak times,” said Mr. Gonzalez. “The daily average of vehicles, in comparison to the capacity that’s offered by the number of lanes on road [shows that] we are at or over capacity.”

The city approved last week a resolution to urge the county to expedite a review of traffic light synchronization on major city corridors including Fifth, 41st and 63rd streets and Collins Avenue due to several synchronization failures that cause gridlock and traffic congestion, especially during the peak hours of 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays.

In addition, the city may also start analyzing traffic congestion in the area of Indian Creek Drive and 41st Street by urging the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to reinstate the dual southbound right turn lanes at that intersection. FDOT is currently looking at “a permanent configuration” to accommodate a second right turn lane, according to city documents. FDOT anticipates construction of that right turn lane to begin in 2024 and finish in 2025.

The city would also look into adding police at 41st Street in peak traffic hours and hiring seasonal traffic control officers as part of its 2024 budget to aid traffic flow, as well as request a “round table” with FDOT, Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works, the City of Miami and other neighboring coastal cities, as well as the Miami-Dade County Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) to discuss traffic concerns, such as capacity of regional roads to accommodate existing and projected traffic patterns.

Traffic counts on the Julia Tuttle Causeway have increased 5% from last year and 2.5% compared to 2019, said City Manager Alina Hudak.

Nighttime construction whenever possible – and not close to residential areas – could also be tried. The city referred this to the Public Safety and Neighborhood Quality of Life Committee.

Referred to the Public Safety Committee is a discussion to potentially close during peak hours certain city streets in residential areas north and south of 41st Street between Flamingo Drive and North Bay Road except for area residents, pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as the use of technology “to analyze traffic patterns in congested corridors to support the city and other agencies with jurisdiction with traffic planning efforts,” according to city documents.

“Clearly, we have a situation in our city where it comes to gridlocks,” said Commissioner Alex Fernandez. “The situation is unbearable for our residents, for our businesses, but worse yet, it is unbearable when our own public safety vehicles can’t navigate in and out of traffic.”

Mr. Gonzalez said the city has hired a traffic consultant to independently assess synchronization of the traffic lights along 41st Street. “When a road is oversaturated, signals do not to their job,” he said. “From a driver’s perspective, it may seem as if the signals are off sequence” because traffic does not flow.

Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez suggested removing bulb-outs (curb extensions that extend the sidewalk or curb line into the parking lane), installed in 2015, that do not let traffic turn right.