Baylink transit linking Miami Beach-Miami rolling ahead
A Baylink transit line between Miami and Miami Beach that has been a 40-year dream has cleared objections of the City of Miami Beach and a National Environmental Policy Act Review for an elevated Metromover on the MacArthur Causeway and is moving ahead.
“We plan on moving this project forward expeditiously,” Josiel Ferrer-Diaz, deputy director and chief project delivery officer of the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works, told the Citizens’ Independent Transportation Trust last week.
The trust would provide funds to meld with federal money for the new route, whose cost has been pegged at $1 billion to connect with downtown Miami’s Metromover on a one-seat ride to Miami Beach. A later segment of Baylink is to run from downtown to the Design District.
The US Coast Guard, which is the lead federal agency on the project because it would pass over Biscayne Bay to link the cities, “won’t seek any changes under the [environmental policy] act, which is good news,” Mr. Ferrer-Diaz told the trust.
His department is now looking for a traffic analysis that the state requested in order to move forward, using mostly local funds, he said.
After Miami Beach earlier opposed the project’s route and transit mode, he said, the transportation department reached out to the Coast Guard and “they were not considering any changes in classification.”
The city has no formal control over the transit route or mode, although trust Chairman Robert Wolfarth said in June that federal agencies “don’t want to go to a community that’s fighting with each other not wanting to have transportation corridors.”
Baylink replaces a $1.3 billion monorail previously proposed by private developers. Mayor Daniella Levine Cava changed those plans to switch to a government financed and constructed Metromover link connecting to other county transportation as opposed to a standalone system.
“What type of project are we looking at?” Mr. Wolfarth asked last week. “What does that link look like?”
The project remains what the mayor endorsed, Mr. Ferrer-Diaz said, with an elevated guide for an automated passenger mover. “That would be along the MacArthur Causeway and connecting onto Fifth Street, and the terminus right now as we have it … is between Euclid Avenue and Washington … just west of Washington Avenue. The first station is Lenox Avenue and then just west of Washington.”
Miami Beach several years ago decided to develop a bus connector from the Washington Avenue station to the Miami Beach Convention Center at 19th Street, 14 blocks north. The city is working closely with the county transportation department to develop that route up Washington Avenue and mesh the timing with that of Baylink, Mr. Ferrer-Diaz said, and to be sure “there’s synergy between both projects.”
Earlier this year Baylink had a listed construction start of 2025 with a 2029 completion, but the schedule was set aside as Miami Beach passed a resolution about the route, traffic, the environment and public security.
“We’re taking that feedback into consideration and then we’ll come back to the trust to update you about the next steps of the project,” Eulois Cleckley, head of the transportation and public works department, told the transportation trust in June.
“We are out there fighting with many other large cities in the country that would love to be able to get the money that we’re getting from the federal government,” Mr. Wolfarth noted then.
DC
October 2, 2024 at 11:03 am
Nice try, Miami Beach, now get out of the way so we can build it already.
Reid
October 2, 2024 at 5:47 pm
Hell NO – Horrible Idea for Miami Beach and it’s residents near the Causeway!!
Duchess of York
October 3, 2024 at 10:30 pm
You’re hilarious – you say “get out of the way” when you want to take the 1980s Disney train to the beach… ha ha
There is enough space on the causeway to have a dedicated bus lane and for a $1B federal program, we could have dedicated robotaxis for years! Lol – your eagle icon shows you’re a Muppet. Lol
Joe Lewis
October 2, 2024 at 5:31 pm
Miami. Now with HBO.
Wayne Roberts
October 3, 2024 at 9:26 am
The most ridiculous plan ever. A tech that Jacksonville acrually is tearing down and installing robovans and taxis in it’s place. An elevated Metromover is an eyesore for MB and will destroy the fabric of the city. A system that breaks down regularly and currently crawls at 7mph avg speed. Leave it to Higgins and a corrupted incompetent bureaucracy to spend billions for a connection to one street with elevated structures to turn 5th street into a ghetto over time
Bruce camay
October 3, 2024 at 10:11 am
Clearly this article was not vetted. A resolution was submitted to the county by Miami Beach against this plan. We want smart mass transit not expensive outdated mass transit. Why not start with dedicated bus lanes ? Spending 1 billion now is 2 billion when finished to drop people on 5th and Washington. Then what ? That’s not where people need to ultimately go. It’s not the convention center or Sinai. It’s unfortunate that our local representative Higgins won’t meet with her constituents to discuss options.
David
October 7, 2024 at 2:31 pm
The state outlawed buses to have priorirty on traffic lights. Which makes any “dedicated bus lanes” basically standard buses since they would have to stop for all the traffic lights. Miami beach residents and businesses would be better connected to the rest of the county!
Pam
October 3, 2024 at 12:39 pm
Wow. What an idiotic idea and an eyesore. Really unfortunate.
Daniel
October 3, 2024 at 1:55 pm
The residents of South of Fifth that live up in their glass towers a small minority but loud group of opposers. Thankfully the government is not only considering the wants of the few. This link is to connect to extremely dense, gridded urban areas. The people of Miami Beach, Miami, and Dade County support the bay link. Despite the vocal minorities attempt to convince otherwise
Jeff
October 5, 2024 at 12:29 am
Well said!
De'Queshown
October 8, 2024 at 12:52 pm
You mean the people that are paying an outsized amount of property taxes? They want say over their own neighborhood in exchange for their huge property tax bills? Think that overrides desires of the free beercan shortbus ride seekers renting Hialeah apartments?
Jeff
October 5, 2024 at 12:39 am
Better late than never.
I understand some Miami Beach residents think the beach belongs to them exclusively and they don’t want to make it easier for mainland Dade County residents to enjoy the beach. I’m glad the county isn’t being swayed by these selfish NIMBY people, most of whom aren’t even originally from Dade County to begin with.
This will reduce traffic congestion, reduce competition for parking on the beach, reduce commute times, improve air quality, make it easier for beach businesses to attract workers, and make it easier for tourists and locals to get around.
Miguel
October 6, 2024 at 9:53 pm
Agreed. Just common sense for a growing global city.
Steve Man
October 5, 2024 at 9:03 am
When Metromover cars break down now, a technician enters the guideway from the nearest station to get the vehicle moving. The maximum walking distance is 300 yards.
It’s 2 miles across the bay. What could possibly go wrong.
Where will the new maintenance facility be constructed?
Saltwater, tropical storms, hurricanes and automated mini trains do not mix.
Robert
October 6, 2024 at 7:20 am
Boondoggle, this mode of transportation is not going to help traffic. Perhaps a few party goers and some downtown residents might use it from time to time. There are no major employment centers in South Beach. Mass transit requires masses.
West Ave Resident
October 7, 2024 at 7:18 pm
Finally.
WE NEED THIS.
Pam Thomas
October 16, 2024 at 5:52 pm
This hugely expensive boondoggle will only make the traffic congestion on Miami Beach worse, including for the folks who come over on the Baylink. How will they get where they need to go on on MB after they get off this mis-named “one-seat” transport? There’s, um, a bus, which they could have taken already across the Bay (but they didn’t feel like it). Or more Ubers, which are just more cars trying to deal with rush hours when the traffic is at a standstill on West, Alton, Collins and Washington. Why does no one see that this emperor has no clothes?
kike el pelao
October 21, 2024 at 12:13 am
The Miami Beach commissioners only care about the rich, and it was clear when they shot down the Metromover. Everyone in Miami Beach who’s just trying to get by actually wants it. The NIMBYs are just a few wealthy folks down in South of Fifth.
Uriel Algaba
October 26, 2024 at 6:36 am
Oh, boy! All I see are people engaging in trivial tribal angles of this issue when what matters is that it is a vanity project. There are essential short-funded projects that could use that billion dollars!