Venetian Causeway replacements of 11 bridges advance

Replacement of 11 of the 12 historic Venetian Causeway bridges linking Miami and Miami Beach has won federal and state go-ahead for the next phase of plans to be finished well after the causeway turns 100 years old.

A Florida Department of Transportation memo last week said the state and the Federal Highway Administration had accepted the location and design concept, clearing the way to finish the design under Miami-Dade County control.

Next, a contractor would start to replace the short-span reinforced concrete arch-beam bridges so that the scenic 1926 roadway across six manmade residential islands in the heart of Biscayne Bay could begin two and three-quarter after the notice to proceed. Construction for about four years would create a double-leaf, slightly higher bascule bridge near Miami Beach and at best be done in 2029.

County commissioners last May approved taking over a $10.6 million state contract signed in 2012 with EAC Consulting to draw the plans. EAC had already done a project development and environment study for the work. The county amended the contract to enable EAC to do the final design and plan preparation for the county, including a $969,199 contingency for unforeseen work.

The causeway includes 10 fixed and two movable bridges, all listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The causeway was also designated by Miami and Miami Beach as a local historic landmark.

The state memo last week noted that the bridge nearest the mainland has already been replaced and is not part of the work plan.

The county initially plugged the bridge replacements into an unsolicited proposal by a group of firms in the Plan Z Consortium to build, finance, operate and maintain the Rickenbacker Causeway. After pressure to leave the Venetian Causeway out of the county’s competitive solicitation for the package, it was removed from the plans, which then were totally abandoned last year.